Progress has plateaued particularly since COVID-19 service interruptions. "Only 46% of the estimated 73,000 people living with HIV who developed TB in 2021 were able to access antiretroviral therapy. This is the same level as of 2020," shared Eamonn. Overall, TB cases in Asia and the Pacific region have not declined much between 2015 and 2022 among people with HIV.
More importantly, Eamonn pointed towards the difference between countries in responding to TB and HIV dual epidemics. "Over 75% of people diagnosed with TB accessed HIV testing and knew their status in 2022 but there is dramatically unequal progress between countries in Asia Pacific region." Only 58% of people with TB-HIV co-infection knew their status in 2022 and less than half of them (42%) were on antiretroviral therapy. In India, over three-fourth of people with TB and HIV co-infection were on antiretroviral therapy whereas in the Philippines only one in five of them were receiving the therapy. "The data tells us perennial story that people continue to be left behind."
"We need a well-coordinated and persistent approach to both TB and HIV, for the delivery of comprehensive quality services," said Eamonn. "We need a response that is strongly connected to the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) agenda and the 2030 sustainable development agenda. We cannot talk about achieving these or any other SDG targets if we continue the standalone programmes and approaches."
Engage the people we serve
"Biomedical HIV and TB prevention and treatment strategies have saved millions of lives, but they are insufficient to meet our goals to end TB or AIDS. We know from more than four decades of building and refining the AIDS response that we have to involve the users of the health services in their design, planning and implementation - at every level and stage. That is why communities at risk must be at the centre of everything we do," said Eamonn Murphy of UNAIDS.
We only have 80 months left to deliver on all SDGs which includes the targets of ending AIDS and TB worldwide (by 2030). There is no excuse for inaction - as we can do better.
Shobha Shukla, Bobby Ramakant - CNS (Citizen News Service)
(Shobha Shukla and Bobby Ramakant co-lead the editorial of CNS (Citizen News Service) and on the governing board of Global Antimicrobial Resistance Media Alliance (GAMA) and Asia Pacific Media Alliance for Health and Development (APCAT Media). Follow them on Twitter @shobha1shukla and @bobbyramakant)
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