HIV treatment progress risks being undermined by Covid-19 pandemic

"The theme of World AIDS Day this year is "Global solidarity and Shared responsibility", because in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic we are seeing how important it is for the world to come together".

In its message for World Aids Day 2020, the United Nations called for global solidarity and warned that in fighting the Covid-19 pandemic, the world can not afford to make the same mistakes it made in the fight against HIV, when millions in developing countries died waiting for treatment.

"There must be global solidarity and shared responsibility among all stakeholders to ensure integrated, people-centered, quality care, and an uninterrupted supply of essential commodities for HIV services".

"It is encouraging, however, that over the last decade we made progress in reducing the number of new HIV infections in the population by almost 60%", the president said.

"In Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria and Senegal, women living with HIV are serving as community pharmacists, visiting hard to reach semi-urban and rural areas to facilitate the home delivery of HIV treatment and medicines for other diseases".

This was contained in a statement released today by UNAIDS on the occasion of World Aids Day 2020.

The President said it was pleasing that new infections had declined from 47 000 in 2016 to 40 000 in 2019 on account of the comprehensive combination of high impact HIV prevention interventions, which include HIV testing services, prevention of mother to child infection, condom promotion and distribution, treatment as prevention, behaviour change and voluntary medical male circumcision.

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Our treatment programme has contributed to a reduction in the number of deaths due to AIDS by 60%. "What is most pleasing is that we have recorded these achievements despite our economic challenges", he said.

Libya's National Centre for Disease Control. Since 2006, Apple-supported grants have provided over 10.8 million people with care and support services, helped with distribution of more than 167 million HIV tests, and provided 13.8 million people with ongoing access to life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment.

He expressed gratitude to the worldwide community for continuing to honour their pledges in support of response to HIV even in the face of challenges in their own countries.

The UN chief reiterated that health must be a top investment priority to achieve universal health coverage. "If we succeed in doing so, we are likely to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030".

Romero allied with social workers, adherence counsellors from the Ministry of Health, Peer Navigators, NAC District Committees and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to conduct a Needs Assessment of People Living with HIV, which found that many of these desperately needed food items to remain adherent to their medication.

UNAIDS has since proposed a new set of targets for 2025 that, if achieved, will make the UNSDGs of ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 possible.

The New Agency of Nigeria reports that December 1 every year, the global community comes together to mark World AIDS Day to show support for people living with HIV and to remember those who have lost their lives to AIDS.