By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, Nov. 17, 2023 — Here’s another casualty of the pandemic: Gains made against another scourge, HIV.
Progress made in fighting HIV/AIDS across all segments of society was eroded during the crisis, according to a report led by researchers at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).
“Equity in HIV outcomes likely worsened during the pandemic, with decreased access to necessary care,” especially among minorities, said study first author Dr. Matthew Spinelli, an assistant professor in the Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at UCSF.
The new research looked at 2018-2021 data from almost 18,000 patients seeking care from HIV clinics in Baltimore, Birmingham, Ala., Boston, Chapel Hill, N.C., Cleveland, San Diego, San Francisco and Seattle.
Keeping blood levels of HIV suppressed is crucial to maintaining health and thwarting the advance of AIDS. However, the report found rates of adequate viral suppression dropped from 87% to 85% among Black patients over the course of the pandemic, and from 84% to 81% among another high-risk group, intravenous drug users.
The study was published Nov. 14 in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.
Pandemic-era orders to “shelter in place” may have kept many HIV-positive Americans from accessing needed care, the researchers believe. Other patients may have found the transition from in-person to telemedicine services tough to navigate.
The simple fact of being isolated during the COVID crisis also exacerbated issues around substance abuse, loneliness and mental health, Spinelli’s team believes.
The bottom line, he said in a university news release, is that “we will need to redouble our efforts in responding to the HIV epidemic to regain our momentum, with a focus on improving health equity so that no one is left behind.”
Sources
- University of California San Francisco, news release, Nov. 14, 2023
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2023 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted November 2023
Further Support and Information on COVID-19
More news resources
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.
