Elephants in the room in the Covid-19 fight

AT times during the coronavirus pandemic, public health advocates have expressed the grave concern that the other persistent diseases that trouble various parts of the world are being overlooked due to the understandable concentration on the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). In the Philippines, these afflictions include tuberculosis, AIDS, leprosy, measles, polio and dengue fever, along with a few so-called “lifestyle” diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

Unfortunately, even though those who should be concerned about these elephants in the room, so to speak, have expressed concerns, actual effort has not gone much beyond merely acknowledging the problem, the inevitable results of which are beginning to manifest themselves. For example, recent news from the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) showed that the Philippines has the fastest-growing epidemic of the disease (human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) in the world, registering new cases at an average rate of about 855 per month. At least some of that increase is directly attributable to the neglect of ongoing programs as resources have been diverted to the fight against Covid-19.