Dozens of countries are running out of HIV medicines because of disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organisation has warned.
24 countries say they have critically low stocks or severe supply disruptions – and another49 say they are at risk of running out, WHO is to report to an international conference.
WHO has warned that AIDS-related deaths in sub-Saharan Africa could double this year because of the pandemic disruption.
Last year 8.3 million received antiretroviral medicines in the 24 countries facing shortages.
The problems are a setback after a decade of progress. New HIV infections fell by 39% in the last decade, WHO reported – and deaths fell by half.
WHO director-general Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the findings were "deeply concerning."
He said: “Countries and their development partners must do all they can to ensure that people who need HIV treatment continue to access it. We cannot let the COVID-19 pandemic undo the hard-won gains in the global response to this disease."
Leave a Reply