The lesson learned during the HIV/AIDS global epidemic which shows that unity is the final answer, is useful while dealing with the current COVID-19 situation.
The world has gone through various pandemic situations in the past as it is going through now. The highly contagious coronavirus is changing the whole dynamic of the world which has already affected the health systems and the economy in a massive way. Government bodies have been taking drastic measures to deal with the situation. Various countries have not faced this kind of health threat since the 1990s, which was when the HIV/AIDS epidemic struck.
The HIV/AIDS epidemic claimed 32.7 million lives, and the coronavirus has taken 1.4 million lives in one year. Diseases like these need all the dedication, expertise, and collaboration from the society to understand it and then prevent it from spreading further. The HIV/AIDS global epidemic lasted much longer and is an example of how every problem can be solved when the forces all over the world join hands. Since 2010, AIDS-related deaths have reduced by 39%. Groups like Global Fund and PEPFAR (President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) have always fought against the high cost of drugs and enabled the easy mobilization of these medicines across the globe.
The lesson learned from HIV/AIDS global epidemic can be utilized to eradicate COVID-19 reaction as the difficulties are similar. The Access to COVID-9 Tools (ACT) - Accelerator, set up by the World Health Organization in April 2020 as an initiative, along with many global organizations, government and private bodies, industrial and civil societies, have already come together for equal distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, tests, and treatments.
The harms of these global epidemics cannot be dismissed, considering their impact on both the social and economic aspects of the world. It is very important to stay patient and neutral in situations like these, because pandemics never discriminate and acknowledge political borders. When the whole world fights against one intruder with sharp strategies and intelligence, the news of victory is always affirmative.
