Do not Forget HIV while Handling Covid-19

The surge in Covid-19 cases has hampered the handling of other diseases that require routine care and medication, such as HIV/AIDS and leprosy. Discontinuation of treatment can lead to drug resistance.

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Antiretroviral drugs ,(ARVs) that must be consumed by patients with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) were shown at a press conference held by the Indonesia AIDS Coalition (IAC), January 10, 2019, in Jakarta..

The surge in Covid-19 cases has hampered the routine treatment of other diseases, such as AIDS, which is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), and leprosy. In addition to the risks of discontinued treatment, early detection efforts for new cases have also been disrupted, which may trigger an explosion of issues in the future.

“As has happened in many other countries, the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia has impacted the handling of other diseases, such as HIV/AIDS. Patients who are supposed to have routine check-ups or treatments have been cut off,” said Zubairi Djoerban, Indonesian Doctors Association (IDI) Covid-19 task force chairman, who is also a member of the Expert Panel on HIV/AIDS-Sexually Transmitted Diseases, in Jakarta, Thursday (17/2/2022).