Abstract
COVID-19 and HIV Treatment Interruption: A Case Study of the AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Mbale Clinic
Highlights
COVID-19 pandemic caught many HIV programs completely unprepared, leading to massive interruptions in HIV treatment
The COVID-19 control measures imposed by the Government of Uganda, such as restrictions on movement due to the ban on both private and public transport, shortened travel hours due to the curfew imposed from 7 p.m. local time and limited resources at The AIDS Support Organization (TASO) Mbale clinic further frustrated access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) services
This paper provides the magnitude of treatment interruption in TASO Mbale clinic during the April-June 2020 quarter—the COVID-19 pandemic peak period in Uganda
Summary
COVID-19 pandemic caught many HIV programs completely unprepared, leading to massive interruptions in HIV treatment. Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) including Uganda, in compliance with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations [1], first instituted strict lockdown measures on 18th March 2020, as part of the COVID-19 containment measures [3] [4]. These measures included closure of all educational institutions, transport restrictions with total ban on public means of transport and closure of all places that encourage crowding [1] [5]. The effect of HIV care and treatment disruption could lead to increased adverse service outcomes, such as morbidity and mortality among the PLHIV
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