The pandemic had a “devastating” impact on the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in 2020, according to a report released by the Global Fund on Wednesday, APA reports quoting The Guardian.
“To mark our 20th anniversary, we had hoped to focus this year’s report on the extraordinary stories of courage and resilience that made possible the progress we have achieved against HIV, TB and malaria over the last two decades,” said Peter Sands, the Global Fund’s executive director.
“But the 2020 numbers force a different focus. They confirm what we feared might happen when Covid-19 struck,” he said.
“The impact of Covid-19 on the fight against HIV, TB and malaria and the communities we support has been devastating. For the first time in the history of the global fund, key programmatic results have gone backwards.”
There were “significant” declines in HIV testing and prevention services, the fund said. Compared with 2019, the number of people reached with HIV prevention and treatment dropped by 11% last year, while HIV testing dropped by 22%, holding back new treatment in most countries.
Nevertheless, the number of people who received life-saving antiretroviral therapy for HIV in 2020, rose by 8.8% to 21.9 million “despite Covid-19”.
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