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In this new edition of Protecting Global Gains, learn how an innovative approach to HIV care and treatment has helped Malawi better weather the impact of COVID-19. This latest story comes in the lead up to World AIDS Day—with this year the world commemorating the fight against one pandemic in the midst of another. World AIDS Day also provides an opportunity to reflect on work to protect hard-won gains against HIV during a global public health crisis.
In Malawi, people who have been taking HIV medication for at least six months and have a stable viral load can take home a multi-month supply of medications, which reduces the need to travel to the clinic. This kind of differentiated service delivery (DSD) has proven to be an essential lifeline during COVID-19.
DSD models for treatment and prevention—teams of community health workers, mobile clinics, support networks and supply chains—will all be as critical to the fight against COVID-19 as they are to efforts to end AIDS. These are the systems and services that people already know and trust—and must be protected, sustained, and built upon to combat COVID-19, protect global health gains, and reimagine a brighter public health future.
In the short-term, advocates can demand policies and programs that make it easier for people to access health care, testing and treatment, for HIV and for COVID-19, and ensure that vulnerable and marginalized groups are included in decision-making.
Follow us on social media at @hivpxresearch, @theglobalfight and @Amref_Worldwide and #protectglobalgains, and consider amplifying these stories on your own social media. Visit www.protectingglobalgains.org to learn how to take action and to share your stories of innovation in the time of COVID.