The Ministry of health (MoH) in collaboration with the Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia (CIDRZ) under the CDC funded PROUDZ project, has reaffirmed its commitment to ending AIDS among children and adolescents by strengthening paediatric HIV case finding through the expanded Know Your Child Status Plus (KYCS++) strategy.

Speaking at a stakeholder engagement meeting at the CIDRZ Head Office in Lusaka, the Ministry of Health Director for HIV Prevention (AYP), Dr Khozya Zyambo, explained that the KYCS++ strategy aims to ensure that all children and adolescents under 19 are identified and offered HIV testing services, supporting Zambia’s goal of achieving the 95-95-95 targets for children and adolescents living with HIV by 2030.

Dr Zyambo highlighted that in 2025, the KYCS++ approach was expanded following an initiative by the Western Provincial Health Office to include children living in households of men living with HIV. The goal was to reach all children who may have been missed through conventional HIV testing approaches.

“The approach also supports national efforts to reduce HIV-related illnesses and deaths among children by ensuring that all children living with HIV are found and linked to early treatment which increases their quality of life”, he said.

The KYCS++ builds on the original KYCS family index testing model, which links children and adolescents who may not access routine health services to care through parents and caregivers living with HIV.