Global progress was being made against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria before the pandemic. Now, much of that progress has been set back, according to a Sept. 8 report from the Global Fund.<\/p>\n
Five report notes:<\/p>\n
1. Compared to 2019, about one million fewer people were tested and treated for TB in 2020 an 18 percent drop.<\/p>\n
2. The number of people treated for drug-resistant TB and extensively drug-resistant TB dropped by 19 percent and 37 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n
\"We've been hit really hard on TB,\" Peter Sands, executive director of the Global Fund, told The New York Times.. \"I'm afraid that inevitably means hundreds of thousands of extra deaths.\"<\/p>\n
3. HIV testing dropped by 22 percent from 2019 to 2020, while the number of young people reached with prevention services fell by 12 percent.<\/p>\n
4. Interventions against malaria were least affected by COVID-19 disruptions. The number of suspected cases tested and cases treated fell by 4.3 percent and 0.5 percent, respectively, though most countries were largely able to maintain preventive measures.<\/p>\n
5. Despite the setbacks, some countries were able to implement innovative prevention strategies that will likely outlast the pandemic, such as sending multi-month supplies of drugs for TB and HIV; using digital tools to monitor TB treatment; and simultaneous testing for HIV, TB, and COVID-19, the Times reports.<\/p>\n
The Global Fund is an advocacy group that invests billions of dollars per year to aid countries in fighting HIV, malaria and tuberculosis.<\/p>\n
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Read more: <\/p>\n
Pandemic significantly reversed progress against other global diseases: 5 report notes - Becker's Hospital Review<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Global progress was being made against HIV, tuberculosis and malaria before the pandemic. Now, much of that progress has been set back, according to a Sept. 8 report from the Global Fund Continue reading