This time the event will take place in Montreal, Canada, until August 2nd – once more with experts and participants on site, at least in part. “As part of the CoV pandemic, there have been dramatic reductions in HIV testing and counseling facilities internationally,” says Jürgen Rockstroh, professor at the University Hospital Bonn, who is at the World AIDS Conference participates. “Necessary laboratory controls have been stretched. Bottlenecks in the supply of medicines have been widely reported. In addition, many researchers – but also public health colleagues – have had to focus on Covid, so that many resources have been lost for HIV.”
The numbers reflect that: The fight once morest HIV and AIDS has come to a standstill worldwide, according to a statement published before the start of the conference Message of the UN program to fight AIDS (UNAIDS). In some regions where the number of new infections had previously fallen, they are now rising once more; Millions of lives are threatened.
Around 1.5 million people worldwide were newly infected with the HI virus last year. This means that the number of new infections has still fallen compared to the previous year, but only by 3.6 percent – less than at any time since 2016. In Eastern Europe, parts of Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, among others, the number of new infections has increased. Progress has also stalled in East and South Africa. There has been a decline in infections, for example, in West and Central Africa and in the Caribbean.
progress halted
If HIV infection is not treated, the virus weakens the immune system to such an extent that life-threatening illnesses occur. One then speaks of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome). “The new data confirms our worst fears – that the impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic and other crises have slowed the fight once morest AIDS,” said Tom Hart, head of development organization One. “The progress of two decades was stopped abruptly in just two years.”
The report brings “painful but vital news,” UNAIDS chief Winnie Byanyima said at a press conference on Wednesday. The US immunologist Anthony Fauci spoke of a “wake-up call” reminding us “that we can do better”.
Severe courses of the Covid 19 disease are significantly more likely in people infected with HIV who also become infected with Corona. “CoV vaccinations also work well for people who live with HIV,” says doctor Rockstroh. They should be prioritized accordingly.
need for exchange
In addition to the CoV pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the increased occurrence of monkeypox and the difficult global economic situation were also causes of concern in the fight once morest HIV and AIDS. Therefore, the conference is now very important, says Rockstroh. “There is a great need to exchange ideas once more and to discuss strategies for HIV elimination in times of pandemics and war.” Because actually all the tools needed to end HIV are available – including antiretroviral therapies and efficient preventive measures in the form of tablets or injections.
Nitika Pant Pai from McGill University in Montreal complains that many people, especially from countries heavily affected by HIV and AIDS, might not have obtained a visa to take part in the conference in Canada. She would like the upcoming conferences to take place in Asia or Latin America, for example. “It is high time that the power structure and decision-making authority shifted in favor of those countries that suffer the most.”
Like a long-haul flight
Pai compares the fight once morest HIV and AIDS with a long-haul flight: Before the start of the corona pandemic, people had hoped to be able to fly at a good altitude. Many countries were on a very good path. With Corona, this flight is now experiencing turbulence – but the pandemic has also brought positive factors, especially with regard to research, such as vaccines.
Pai is optimistic: “With HIV, we can see the horizon of elimination,” says the scientist – and goes back to her flight metaphor. “We’re picking up the threads once more now. We’re trying to get back on our long-haul flight, shake off complacency, and get back on the path to elimination so that we can get a soft landing on this one pandemic.”
