For people with HIV in vulnerable societies, 2020 will be a year of double crisis. The number of HIV infections has already increased in large parts of the world. Covid-19 came on top of that in 2020. On the eve of World AIDS Day, December 1, Aidsfonds will publish a report on the impact of covid-19 on HIV in the world. Aidsfonds warns that the accumulation of these two pandemics has a disastrous effect on the global fight against AIDS.
Mark Vermeulen, director of Aidsfonds : “The tremendous progress we have made together in 40 years of AIDS response is now being mercilessly curbed. The supply and availability of life-saving HIV drugs has been seriously compromised in many countries. This while someone with HIV has to take these medicines very strictly every day. The official HIV testing sites are now mainly tested for covid-19. Much less is tested for HIV, so more people do not know their HIV status. This increases the chances that the HIV virus will be passed on or discovered too late to save someone.”
Testing
Two-thirds of all people living with HIV in the world live in sub-Saharan Africa, in countries with fragile healthcare systems now under pressure from the corona pandemic. According to the Aidsfonds partners, many HIV centers are closed for a long time or only open to a very limited extent for people with HIV. Often the official HIV testing sites have been transformed into covid-19 testing sites. In addition, less testing can be done at people’s homes or on location. AIDS fund partners have been able to test up to 1000 fewer people for HIV in recent months, compared to the same period last year. The UN organization UNAIDS expects that less testing for HIV will lead to hundreds of thousands of additional HIV infections.
Availability of medicines
Availability of HIV medicines is now a major problem in many countries. People still do not dare to go to hospitals or clinics to pick up their medicines, because of the risk of contamination with corona. The production and import of medicines has also fallen behind. About 20% of drug orders are delayed by more than 30 days. According to the Global Fund, the global fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, only 50% of all countries in the world say they have an adequate supply of life-saving HIV medicines for the next six months, in 8 to 10% of the countries there is now even a critical shortage.
Of the 38 million people living with HIV in the world, 26 million are now on treatment. With HIV medicines they can live a healthy life and no longer transmit the virus. Once they stop, they run the risk of the HIV virus changing and becoming resistant to mainstream drugs. Further treatment then becomes difficult. AIDS is lurking when stopping treatment longer.
Lack of nutrition
The coronoa crisis has undoubtedly major economic consequences, poverty is increasing rapidly. Many people work as day laborers in low and middle income countries. A day without work is a day without eating. Without food, HIV treatment is less effective and, especially for children, food is essential to keep up with HIV medication. Without food they still run the risk of AIDS. UNAIDS predicts many tens of thousands of additional deaths from AIDS in the next 5 years.
–
