With more than 1.7 million infected children worldwide, pediatric HIV-1 infection remains a global health challenge; in 2020 alone, current estimates suggest that more than 150,000 children were newly infected with HIV-1 [1]. Most of these children are infected through breastfeeding, but vertical mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy remains an important source of infection, despite the widespread introduction of effective prevention programs. A substantial proportion (46%) of infected infants and children do not have access to antiretroviral treatment (ART) [2], and in those who do, long-term toxicity may be a concern, as well as insufficient adherence to antiretroviral drugs. If successful in durably suppressing HIV-1 replication, ART in children is highly effective in restoring immune function and normalizing many of the immune perturbations that occur in infected infants