The U.S. government’s funding cuts have shuttered many HIV programs, and activities targeted toward hepatitis prevention and elimination have also taken a hit as a result.
“Just as the entire infrastructure of the HIV program is suffering in myriad different ways — for the loss of viral load testing, loss of key personnel, loss of prevention programs — we’re also suffering in the hepatitis side because we share the same staff [and] we often share the same facilities,” said Alexander Stockdale, an infectious disease physician based in Malawi whose research has focused mainly on viral hepatitis.
An estimated 354 million people globally are affected by hepatitis B and C, the most prevalent forms of viral hepatitis and the most common causes of liver cirrhosis and liver cancer. That’s nearly nine times the global burden of HIV, and yet it gets very little global attention and direct funding, despite them being co-morbidities that contribute to mortality among persons with HIV.
About the author
Jenny Lei Ravelo@JennyLeiRavelo
Jenny Lei Ravelo is a Devex Senior Reporter based in Manila. She covers global health, with a particular focus on the World Health Organization, and other development and humanitarian aid trends in Asia Pacific. Prior to Devex, she wrote for ABS-CBN, one of the largest broadcasting networks in the Philippines, and was a copy editor for various international scientific journals. She received her journalism degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
