COVID-19 and HIV
2020
This report from the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS discusses the opportunities that can arise out of the decades long fight against HIV/AIDS for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) response. The report is divided into three key issues: how lessons learned from HIV can inform COVID-19 response; how COVID-19 can build on existing HIV response infrastructure to accelerate progress; and how COVID-19 response offers an opportunity to reimagine health systems to focus on a rights-based approach to health. To learn from previous HIV response, the authors argue that COVID-19 responses need to be grounded in human rights and equality – focusing on addressing the social and structural inequities that place populations at increased risk for acquiring and succumbing to the disease. The authors also argue that COVID-19 efforts should tap into the wealth of infrastructure originally developed to combat the HIV epidemic, as many systems are already in place and can help optimize COVID-19 response. The report ends with nine overall recommendations focused on supporting COVID-19 efforts through the examination of lessons learned while addressing HIV/AIDS globally.
Source:
COVID-19 and HIV: 1 Moment, 2 Epidemics, 3 Opportunities - How to Seize the Moment to Learn, Leverage and Build a New Way Forward for Everyone's Health and Rights. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS 2020. https://www.unaids.org/en/resources/documents/2020/20200909_lessons_hiv_covid.