“The health crisis has lowered HIV testing. The impact is huge.”

With the coronavirus, the fight against AIDS is weakening while the contaminations do not stop, far from it. Screening, which is essential, has also fallen sharply.

As a side effect of this health crisis, the forgetting of other scourges which affect society throughout the year, such as AIDS. In the global collective mind, HIV prevention has given way to the Covid-19 pandemic. Yet 38 million people shared their lives with HIV in 2019, according to data from UNAIDS. And today in France 173,000 people are living with HIV, 24,000 of whom do not know their HIV status. “Each year, around 6,000 people find out that they are HIV positive, including 13% of young people under 24 and 20% of men and women over 50, figures which have not changed for several years., explains Florence Thune, Managing Director of Sidaction. Even before the health crisis linked to the coronavirus, too large a number of people arrived too late for screening, with very low immunity, even already at the AIDS stage for some. “

A 10% drop in screening tests is estimated over the year 2020, but some doctors mention cuts of 30 to 50% on their services.

The health crisis, an impact on HIV testing

The fear is real for all associations, including Sidaction, concerning the HIV screening activity which was already insufficient before the health crisis. “During periods of confinement, the CEGIDD (Free Information, Diagnosis and Screening Centers, formerly CDAG) had to close their doors. People were afraid to go to be screened for fear of being contaminated by the coronavirus, others have judged that it was not a priority. However, we know that a person who is not detected in time not only sees his state of health deteriorate, but also enters a situation where she can transmit HIV, explains our interlocutor. Today, treatments not only keep you healthy, but also prevent the transmission of HIV. ” Florence Thune adds that in October 2020, “The first data indicated that 650,000 fewer screening tests had been carried out compared to what was initially planned for the first 10 months of the year. A decrease of 10% is estimated over the year, but some doctors mention 30 to 50% cuts on their services. ” A significant delay must therefore be made up.

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Prevention as the key word

Donations and prevention remain fundamental in the fight against AIDS. Following a canceled 2020 campaign, the year 2021 is a sign of hope for Sidaction despite worrying data. Thus, Florence Thune launches this message to Aufeminin readers: “Above all, that they take care of themselves, whatever the pathology concerned. Regarding HIV, that they continue to protect themselves as long as they and their partner have not done so. screening test. Today we have two very effective prevention methods, the condom and the PreP, which must be widely used. One last word: that they also become actors in prevention, talk to them about it. their parents, because as we can see in the screening data, those over 50 are also affected! ” Remember one last thing, to date there is no cure for AIDS.

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Celine Peschard

Journalist who loves the versatility that his profession can offer. Specialized in the historical field, societal subjects and auteur films, against a background of electronic music. University course based on …