Some 110,000 children died of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in 2019, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) has reported, painting a grim picture in the world's fight against HIV.

The agency also reported on Wednesday that nearly 320,000 children and adolescents were newly infected with HIV last year alone. It notes that approximately once every minute and 40 seconds, a child or young person under the age of 20 was infected with HIV last year.

"Children are still getting infected at alarming rates, and they are still dying from AIDS. This was even before COVID-19 interrupted vital HIV treatment and prevention services putting countless more lives at risk", said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

Fore noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had worsened inequalities in access to life-saving HIV services for children, adolescents and pregnant mothers everywhere, and there are serious concerns that one-third of high HIV burden countries could face coronavirus-related disruptions.

"Even as the world struggles in the midst of an ongoing global pandemic, hundreds of thousands of children continue to suffer the ravages of the HIV epidemic", she said. 

UNICEF noted that despite progress in the decades-long fight against HIV and AIDS, deep regional disparities persist among all populations, especially for children.