Africa: Climate Change is Now an Immediate Threat to HIV Control
[allAfrica] Rio de Janeiro, Brazil -- Evidence is growing that the people most affected by HIV are also the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change.
The HIV epidemic and climate change are converging in a way that could threaten decades of progress in Africa, according to health experts. Climate change is disrupting health systems, displacing communities, and worsening food insecurity, making it harder for people living with HIV to access essential services. In sub-Saharan Africa, where poverty and inequality already drive a significant portion of the global HIV burden, the impact of climate change risks pushing the most vulnerable further behind.
Extreme weather events, such as floods, droughts, and displacement, are damaging health facilities, disrupting transport networks, and worsening food insecurity. This, in turn, makes it increasingly difficult for people to reach HIV testing, counseling, and prevention services. Pathfinder International, a global organization working to advance health and rights, has observed these risks firsthand in Mozambique, where a series of cyclones damaged health facilities and disrupted service delivery.
To address these challenges, Pathfinder has implemented HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs across 10 countries, integrating services into primary healthcare and strengthening community and health systems. They have also emphasized the need for climate-smart medicine supply chains, including stronger logistics data systems, decentralised distribution, multi-month dispensing, emergency stock buffers, climate-resilient storage, and contingency plans.
By building climate resilience into HIV programs, health experts hope to prevent a reversal of the hard-won gains in HIV control.
Written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
