The fight against the virus HIV in Africa, an area in which significant progress has been made in the last decade, has slowed down due to the outbreak of pandemic coronavirus, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
Many countries have lagged behind international targets – to end AIDS as a threat to global health by 2030 – and “the difficulties associated with Covid-19 have exacerbated the situation,” the WHO said.
According to the International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections (ICASA), currently taking place in South Africa, only nine countries The continent is well on its way to achieving the goal: Botswana, Cape Verde, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Nigeria, Uganda, Rwanda and Zimbabwe.
“The face of HIV is still, overwhelmingly, that of a black woman,” said the South African Minister of Health Joe Faala, in his speech at the opening of the Conference on Monday.
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to two thirds (67%) people living with HIV, according to the UN, and women and girls represent the 63% of new infections.
With 7.8 million cases, South Africa is the most affected country in the world, broadcasts APE BPE.
Covid-19 “made the fight against HIV more difficult, but one virus can not prevail over another,” warned Dr. Macidiso Moeti, Director of the WHO Africa.
The number of new infections had decreased by 43% in the last decade and the number of deaths had dropped to almost half.
Today, 37.7 million people live with the virus, according to the UN. In 2020, 680.000 people they died from an AIDS-related illness.
“If governments do not accelerate, increase resources and commit to strengthening their countries’ fragile health systems, we will not be able to cross the finish line,” Dr. Moeti warned.
In 40 years, AIDS has killed 36.3 million people, according to the UN.
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