HIV epidemic amidst COVID-19 pandemic in India: a conundrum for the country's healthcare system

Abstract

India has the third-largest burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection in the world. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has only exposed the cracks in the Indian healthcare infrastructure concerning HIV. The prevalence of HIV in India is more among the destitute or sections of society shrouded by years of social stigma such as prostitutes, truck drivers, transsexuals and intravenous drug users. National AIDS Control Organisation and The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) organisation have many several efforts over the years to set up counselling and testing centres all over the country and spread awareness about HIV among the masses. COVID-19 pandemic has reversed years of progress made by the same. HIV patients are biologically more susceptible to COVID-19, and the lockdown has led to the loss of jobs, economic crises, shortage of drugs and necessities such as food and housing among this vulnerable population, which can result in lowered CD4-T cell counts in the coming months and make way for dangerous opportunistic infection outbreaks in this population increasing the overall HIV burden of India. This article explores how COVID-19 has impacted India's already existing HIV epidemic and tries to put forth recommendations based on the evidence found to be better prepared in treating the HIV-positive population in India in the face of another catastrophe like the COVID-19.

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“…This is also true for COVID-19 ( 24 ). The groups of people at high risk for stigmatization are truck drivers, sex workers, migrants, returnees, and displaced individuals ( 25 , 26 ). Efforts to control the cross-border transmission of COVID-19 can be hampered by political and economic factors that can cause people working in the cross-border area to be unwilling to undergo testing ( 27 ).…”

Comprehensive Knowledge about HIV/AIDS among Women of Reproductive Age in India

“…India has progressed tremendously in its efforts to eradicate HIV/AIDS, which poses major threats to the large population of the country in the reproductive age group [17][18][19][20][21].…”

“…India, a country defined by its diversities and disparities, ranks third in terms of the global burden of people living with HIV [17]. The National AIDS Control Organization (NACO) of India had estimated a total of nearly 2.5 million people living with the infection as of 2021 [18].…”

“…The prevalence of HIV for Indian women in the 15-49 years age group is nearly 0.2%. More than 150,000 young people in the age group of 15-24 years have been living with HIV, while a total of 42,000 deaths have been recorded due to AIDS-related complications in India [17,18]. The National Family Health Survey also collects information on HIV/AIDS and, as per its latest (5th) round, nearly 87% of women and 94% of men have heard about HIV and its extreme consequences, which is a modest increase from the proportions reported in the previous rounds of the survey.…”

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“…11 For STDs, early detection, followed by strategic interventions are important. 12 So, global support for this research is essential. Vaccines will significantly reduce the wild wide burden of these STDs.…”