Globally, TB and HIV Might Outpace COVID‑19 Deaths, Says Global Fund
The Global Fund, the Geneva‑based alliance that throws over $4 billion each year at TB, malaria, and HIV, just released its 2020 annual report. What it shows is a startling dip in treatment for drug‑resistant TB and HIV prevention amid COVID‑19 lockdowns. The headline? Roughly a million fewer people received TB treatment in 2020 compared to 2019, and that could translate into hundreds of thousands of extra deaths.
Key Numbers That Raise an Alarm
- Drug‑resistant TB treatment down 19 % in Global Fund‑operated countries.
- HIV prevention services slipped 11 %.
- Global‑wide data suggests excess deaths from TB and HIV could dwarf COVID‑19 fatalities in some of the world’s poorest regions.
Peter Sands, the Fund’s executive director, told Reuters that some parts of the Sahel, as well as other low‑income nations, might see more setbacks against TB and HIV than from the virus itself. The reason? A massive shift of staff, clinics, and diagnostics from TB to COVID‑19 efforts, especially in India and across Africa.
Why This Matters
“The decline in treatment for other diseases doesn’t just add an extra count of deaths,” Sands explained. “It shows we need to look at COVID‑19’s cost in a broader sense—its knock‑on impacts across the health system.”
While malaria production stayed steady, with prevention campaigns either holding their ground or even picking up, TB and HIV have suffered a more pronounced blow.
The Bigger Picture: How COVID‑19 is Tricking the Stats
- Lockdowns and resource re‑allocation are diverting attention from chronic diseases.
- New variants like Delta could keep the disruption on the cards into the coming year.
- Health systems in very low‑resource settings are already stretched to the max, and this crisis is tipping them over.
In short, the Global Fund’s latest report is a call to action: re‑balance the healthcare fight so that diseases like TB and HIV don’t go back on the back burner while we’re dancing in the shadows of COVID‑19.
