LONDON: The head of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria has sounded a warning, stating that climate change and conflict are posing significant challenges to efforts aimed at combatting three of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases.
The Fund’s 2023 results report, released on Monday, revealed that international initiatives to combat AIDS, TB, and malaria have largely rebounded after being severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Peter Sands, the executive director of the Global Fund, cautioned that escalating issues related to climate change and conflict could jeopardize the goal of eradicating these diseases by 2030 without the implementation of “extraordinary steps.”
While there have been positive developments, such as the treatment of 6.7 million people for TB in countries supported by the Global Fund in 2022, a record number, and 1.4 million more than the previous year, as well as assistance to 24.5 million people receiving antiretroviral therapy for HIV, and the distribution of 220 million mosquito nets, the Fund underscored the challenges in a statement accompanying the report.
Global Fight Against AIDS, TB, and Malaria
According to the report, the post-pandemic recovery has been made significantly more arduous due to a “combination of interconnected and colliding crises,” including the impact of climate change. For instance, malaria is now spreading to highland areas of Africa that were previously too cold for the disease-carrying mosquito.
The report also highlighted that extreme weather events like floods are overwhelming healthcare systems, displacing communities, causing spikes in infections, and disrupting treatment in various regions. In countries such as Sudan, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, reaching vulnerable communities has become immensely challenging due to ongoing insecurity.
However, Sands remained optimistic, pointing to innovative prevention and diagnostic tools as potential game-changers in the fight against these diseases. This week, a high-level meeting on tuberculosis is scheduled at the United Nations General Assembly, with advocates hoping for increased focus on addressing the disease and its associated challenges.
