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In parallel to the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight against HIV / AIDS, an epidemic according to the UN, is a reality that persists in the world. The first cases were registered just over 40 years ago in Los Angeles, New York and San Francisco, in the United States, when healthy men began to suffer from rare forms of cancer and pneumonia, as well as opportunistic infections. In this edition of El Debate we analyze the current situation in the fight against HIV in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic.
It was in 1982 when for the first time this rare disease reported in the United States was referred to as AIDS and a year later, in 1983, they determined that AIDS is caused by HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). Since then, progress has been immense, but the disease still has no cure and prevention remains the best weapon. However, how to prevent when its greatest presence is in the poorest areas of the world where there are no resources?
In 2020, 37.7 million people were living with HIV in the world and 6.1 million were carrying the virus without knowing it. On the other hand, sub-Saharan Africa concentrates 67% of the people living with HIV in the world and of the total number of HIV-positive people, 53% are women and girls.
The fight against HIV globally had a setback with the arrival of the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the resources destined for the study of HIV and the development of a vaccine were redirected to the global fight against the coronavirus, even knowing that people living with HIV are at a health disadvantage in the face of Covid-19.
People with HIV suffer much more serious symptoms of Covid-19 and also have greater comorbidities. Still, in mid-2021, most people living with HIV did not have access to Covid-19 vaccines.
But something good leaves the pandemic for the fight against HIV: the development of messenger RNA vaccines. This technology can open the door to an effective vaccine or to new scenarios for treatments or prevention methods.
By the end of 2020, there were some $ 21.5 billion available to respond to AIDS, the disease that causes HIV, in low- and middle-income countries. But UNAIDS estimates that $ 29 billion will be needed for this same response by 2025 in high-, middle- and low-income countries. Where will the money come from when another pandemic is underway and resources are scarce?
On December 1, the International Day of the Fight against HIV / AIDS is commemorated, a date that serves to take stock of the situation, the achievements and the pending tasks to end this virus. We analyzed the details of this topic together with our guests: Daniel Scott, immunologist, virologist and director of research at the Pasteur Institute in Paris; Jaime Valencia, director of the NGO Aid For Aids Colombia; and Dr. Eric Delgado, specialist in Epidemiology and Public Health and Master in Infectious Diseases and HIV.
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