Reversing COVID-19’S Impact in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS

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REVERSING COVID-19’S IMPACT ON THE FIGHT AGAINST HIV/AIDS

https://bit.ly/3mr9cfO 

December 1, 2020

A year ago, on World AIDS Day 2019, it appeared that eliminating the HIV epidemic was within our grasp. Today, we’re in a far different place as COVID-19 has disrupted the delivery of testing, services and care, reversing many of the gains we’ve made.

When 2020 dawned, public health organizations around the globe were united in their mission to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030. Just a few weeks later, there were rumblings of a significant worldwide disruptor that would derail efforts to eradicate AIDS.

And then the steady drip of ominous news began. By March, that disruptor, now known as COVID-19, was sending communities into lockdown and stymying public health efforts to combat other diseases.

By May it was clear that the AIDS epidemic had taken a definitive backseat. HIV testing declined as testing centers remained shuttered and limited access to testing became an extended reality.

In July, a presentation at the AIDS2020 Conference noted that refills for pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP, a medication to prevent HIV, had dramatically decreased since March. When taken daily, PrEP has been shown to be 99 percent effective at preventing infection. For those who have been able to remain on PrEP, non-adherence has increased by 86 percent.

In October, UNAIDS, the organization leading the global fight against HIV, reported a significant drop in HIV testing services in all countries with available data.

Today, on World AIDS Day 2020, it’s time to put a stake in the ground: We cannot let the HIV epidemic take a back seat to COVID-19.

Thankfully, we have the tools to eradicate HIV and AIDS: Prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and outbreak response. Success in the age of COVID lies in innovative approaches to using these tools in a new way.

Case in point: testing. Access to testing during the pandemic has been challenging as in-person testing facilities for HIV have been, in many cases, shut down. Self-testing, which enables social distancing and helps protect healthcare workers and test users alike, has become a key strategy in the efforts to help people know their HIV status, especially under the current global pandemic conditions.

At-home self-testing is uniquely suited to our times. It reduces the burden on healthcare systems while better equipping health programs to maintain testing continuity, despite social distancing and quarantine. Agencies including PEPFAR and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recognize the value of HIV self-testing to address the challenges posed by in-person HIV testing due to COVID-19.

On the prevention side, pairing PrEP with adherence testing increases adherence and persistence making the drug more effective in the real world. 

It is this kind of innovative thinking that will save lives by ensuring that people continue to protect themselves, get tested and connected to treatment and care. 

Let it not be lost on us that the best practices for eradicating HIV – testing, mitigating transmission and access to healthcare – are precisely the steps needed to get the COVID-19 pandemic under control.

Chillingly, some experts say that COVID-19 will not be last pandemic we face. Let’s ensure the global fight against HIV/AIDS is not a casualty.