WHO: Overlapping crises accelerating health inequality

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus attends a press conference at the WHO headquarters in Geneva on Dec 20, 2021.
(FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP)

MONTREAL, Canada – World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Monday that overlapping crises of COVID-19, inflation and cuts to foreign aid by wealthy countries are accelerating health inequality and disrupting health services.

Giving a keynote speech by video to the "health equity for all" of the 24th International AIDS Conference, known as AIDS 2022, Tedros said the growing inequality could reverse a decade of progress made in the fight against HIV.

World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the growing inequality could reverse a decade of progress made in the fight against HIV

In almost every country, the gap between rich and poor is getting wider and the global cost of living crisis is driving more people into poverty, Tedros said.

"Access to life-saving prevention tools, testing and treatment, whether for HIV, COVID-19 and now monkeypox, too often relies on chance: where you were born, the colour of your skin and how much you earn," Tedros said.

ALSO READ: UN: Pandemic could lead to HIV surge in West, Central Africa

He called on donor nations to maintain funding for global health.

Global HIV community leaders warned that the world is losing ground against HIV. According to a report of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), about 1.5 million new HIV infections occurred in 2021, over one million more than the global targets.

The UNAIDS report also showed that the number of people on HIV treatment increased more slowly in 2021 than it has in over a decade.

More than 9,500 in-person and nearly 2,000 virtual participants were registered to attend the fully hybrid AIDS 2022 which takes place from July 29 to Aug. 2 in the Canadian city of Montreal with the theme of "re-engage and follow the science". 

READ MORE: WHO: Monkeypox hits Europe, Americas hardest

Previous post 全球千億基因檢測市場風口在望,普瑞健康(PRE.US)成二級市場稀缺價值標的
Next post UN weighs conditions for probe into Donetsk prison attack