Covid-19 pushing other priorities aside

One must say thank heavens that the battle against polio was practically done and over in Third World countries before the coronavirus pandemic got up speed. Since the coronavirus swept the world the battles against tuberculosis, malaria and HIV/Aids have been slowed down, partly because of peoples’ worries about visiting health clinics, many of which have been closed for fear of contagion. It’s estimated that about 80 percent of programs have been disrupted. One in four people being treated for HIV have reported problems in getting hold of their medications. In India diagnosis of TB cases has dropped by nearly 75 percent. In country after country the coronavirus has resulted in sharp drops in diagnosing TB: a 70 percent decline in Indonesia, 50 percent in Mozambique and South Africa and 20 percent in China. Yet, if ranked by numbers and importance, TB eradication should be given priority over the coronavirus which has only claimed around half a million deaths this year, against TB’s annual 1,600,000. So should malaria treatment where also more lives are being lost than those from Covid-19.

Covid-19 pushing other priorities aside

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