There is practically nothing that the Covid-19 pandemic has not affected. As the world shifted its focus to contain the spread of the disease, several health issues including those that require intense attention and care took a backseat. The global AIDS response has also been pushed off track, badly disrupting years of efforts to end it. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS said in its report that the ongoing pandemic could lead to an additional 123,000-293,000 new HIV infections and 69,000-148,000 additional AIDS-related deaths between 2020 and 2022. It is reported that lockdown-induced restrictions had disrupted the supply of life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medicines, contraceptive and other items that are needed for people living with HIV to lead a normal life as well as control the transmission of the virus. Testing for HIV is said to have dropped drastically after the outbreak of the pandemic as many outpatient departments at healthcare facilities were closed during the initial days of the lockdown. This unprecedented disruption in screening of suspected patients and people from vulnerable groups is a huge setback. Governments across the world, nongovernmental organisations and the society at large should take up pragmatic steps and continue the fight with renewed vigour. The new trend should be arrested without delay, or else it will undo the progress made between 2000 and 2019, which saw a significant drop in the percentage of both new HIV infections and HIV-related deaths.
According to the HIV sentinel surveillance 2019, Nagaland has the highest adult HIV prevalence in India with 1.45% and is 16 times higher than that of national average in HIV incidence. It went on to say that only 16% of the youths in the state have comprehensive knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and 35% of sexually active youths engaged in high risk sexual behaviour. This is a matter of worry which needs to be tackled with urgency, political will and community involvement. A multi-faceted approach is required to end this health issue. Several factors like discrimination, social stigma, myths associated with HIV etc., which continue to hinder the global effort to eliminate the disease, should be addressed through aggressive awareness programmes, imparting of sex education early at school, and better parent-children communication besides making known the fact that that HIV patients can lead a normal life with the help of antiretroviral therapy coupled with a little bit of love and care from society. HIV test for pregnant women should also be increased to ensure zero infection among children. However, for people to freely come forward for testing, a society free of stigma and discrimination against those living with HIV is a pre-requisite. Governments across the globe too should scale up investment in healthcare not only to end AIDS but also other pandemics. Special attention should be given to HIV patients, elderly people and others who are vulnerable to Covid-19, and in the event of vaccine for the ongoing pandemic coming to the country, those from such high risk groups should be given preference. Ignoring one pandemic in the process of dealing with another will prove disastrous.