Africa's HIV Epidemic Prepared Nations To Face COVID-19 - South African Epidemiologist

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2020) The tools and methods which South Africa had developed to deal with the HIV/AIDS pandemic in handy in dealing with the COVID-19 outbreak in the country, Salim Abdool Karim, director of the Centre for the AIDS Program of Research in South Africa said on Tuesday.

"There is little doubt that in countries like South Africa and indeed many in countries in Africa, our substantial HIV epidemics have built infrastructure have placed us in a somewhat good position to respond to the COVID epidemic," Abdool Karim said at a World Health Organization virtual briefing on COVID-19's impact on services for HIV and related health areas.

The epidemiologist lauded South Africa's response to active case finding, which mobilized 60,000 community health care workers into all communities and screened over 20 million people with HIV capabilities, according to Abdool Karim.

The global tendency for people to be hesitant of visiting health care facilities for fear of catching COVID-19 was also noted by Abdool Karim.

South Africa has become the continent's epicenter of the pandemic, accounting for over 205,000 infected with 3,310 deaths, a significant part of Africa's overall half million cases.