The pandemic has caused huge problems in the health systems, especially in the poorest countries coronavirus resulting in hundreds of thousands of people dying from tuberculosis, AIDS and malaria.
In some of the world’s poorest countries, deaths from AIDS and tuberculosis may even surpass those due to coronavirus, according to the World Fund’s annual report.
The number of patients treated for drug-resistant TB in the countries where it invests has fallen by 19%. HIV and AIDS prevention programs and services have shrunk by 11%, he added.
The pandemic had a “sweeping impact” on the fight against the three diseases, the institution emphasizes. For the first time, efforts have been made to address key populations and vulnerable groups.
The figures for 2020 “confirm what we feared since the outbreak of the new coronavirus,” said Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. “It simply came to our notice then. “For the first time in our history, our key indicators are in decline.”
The pandemic has shaken health systems, reduced diagnostic tests and the supply of treatment. It had “catastrophic” consequences in the fight against tuberculosis: treatment was offered to about 4.7 million people, ie almost one million fewer patients than in 2019.
At the forefront of the fight against the human immunodeficiency virus, the impact of the pandemic was also great. Although the number of positives receiving antiretroviral therapy continued to increase (+ 9% in 2020), the report spoke of a “very worrying” reduction in prevention services and testing in key populations.
The number of people involved in the programs of prevention of acquired immune deficiency syndrome decreased by 11% in 2020, by 12% in the younger population. The number of treatments given to mothers to prevent the risk of transmitting the virus to their babies was reduced by 4.5%.
Tests for AIDS have decreased
Diagnostic tests for AIDS have dropped by 22%, which means that treatment may have been delayed in most countries.
In the countries where the Global Fund operates, 21.9 million people were receiving antiretroviral treatment for HIV in 2020 (+ 8.8% compared to 2019).
So far, malaria control programs appear to have been hit less by the pandemic, according to the report.
The mosquito nets distributed increased by 17% in 2020. In several countries, volunteers in the fight against the disease preferred to stop the distribution from large centers, which was not recommended due to a pandemic, and instead to do door-to-door distribution.
The number of tests for suspected malaria cases fell by 4.3% in 2020 and progress in trying to eradicate the disease has stalled, the Fund said.
The new coronavirus pandemic has revealed how “critical” the proper functioning of health systems is, the Fund insists. However, he speaks of some ray of hope, such as some innovations in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.
In Nigeria, for example, the National AIDS Control Agency conducts HIV tests on people who go to centers to be tested for SARS-CoV-2. Result: diagnoses increased.
The Fund’s rapid response has allowed the worst to be avoided, he said in a report. In 2020, it spent $ 4.2 billion.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a partnership between governments, non-governmental organizations, the private sector and patients. Half of its funds are allocated to the fight against AIDS on the one hand and malaria and tuberculosis on the other. Since its inception in 2002, the Fund has estimated that it has saved 44 million lives. The country with the largest contribution to the Fund is the USA.
Source of RES EIA
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