Researchers say they have learned a lot of valuable lessons during the Covid-19 pandemic which can be used to better fight the future spread of HIV and Aids.
Director of Training at the Columbia University in the United States, Dr. Andrea Howard says the test-and-treatment protocols, used for for Covid-19, could also be an effective tool to test for and immediately start anti-retroviral treatments in HIV patients.
Howard says they also found that providing HIV treatment at the site of testing increases treatment initiation and uptake.
Read more on this story here and here.
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📺 LIVE: Tune in for @WHOAFRO press briefing on #COVID19 testing & treatment in #Africa. Dr @MoetiTshidi will be joined by @GlobalFund's Dr Harley Feldbaum & @ICAP_ColumbiaU's Dr Andrea Howard.https://t.co/HgJ1BwWYvF
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) January 20, 2022
A professor of Immunology says there is concern that the Covid-19 pandemic could bring about an increase in the number of drug-resistant strains of HIV.
Professor Theresa Rossouw, from the University of Pretoria’s Department of Immunology, says the disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have had a negative impact on the treatment of HIV and Aids.
Rossouw says prevention programs were also severely neglected over the past two years.
Read more on this phenomenon here.
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People living with #HIV are at a 30% higher risk of developing severe or fatal #COVID19. We must make sure everyone has access to COVID-19 vaccination & services#WorldAIDSDay pic.twitter.com/M286jga7hl
— WHO/Europe (@WHO_Europe) December 1, 2021
