Health needs to have a more individualistic approach, Canada needs to invest in Global Fund

As Canada celebrates Pride Month this June, it gives us an opportunity to examine the devastating impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the fight against HIV/AIDs, TB and malaria around the world, particularly in the LGBTQ2+ community.

Along with other community groups, increased equities have made the

LGBTQ2+ community more vulnerable to these epidemics. HIV/AIDS continues to disproportionately affect members of the LGBTQ2+ community, and in 2020, HIV/AIDS prevention programs and testing dropped from 2019 by 11% and 22%, respectively, holding back treatment initiation in many countries. An estimated 115 million people were pushed into extreme poverty in 2020 and HIV/AIDS, TB, and malaria combined killed more people than COVID-19. For the first time in a decade, the number of people dying from TB, the leading cause of death among people living with HIV/AIDS, increased.

We need more than biomedical interventions. Health for all cannot be achieved without ensuring human rights and building a more equitable world.

We need universal recognition and implementation of more people-centred services that cater to individuals’ health needs holistically and empower affected communities and people. Thus, it’s imperative that Canada reaffirm its commitment to ending these epidemics by investing in the Global Fund.