Over 25 million couples in India did not have access to any contraceptive methods at the time of Covid 19 pandemic , according to a new report of the UNAIDS.
The report “Prevailing against the Pandemics by Putting People at the Centre” points out that the health officials in some low and middle income countries are bracing for a surge in new births due to interruptions to contraceptive access.
It said, “COVID-19 could lead to a so-called baby bust in high-income countries with greater contraceptive access, as women decide to avoid having children during the pandemic and the associated economic recession. One analysis projected a reduction in the number of births of 300 000 to 500 000 in the United States alone as a result of COVID-19.”
The report released as part of the World Aids Day also highlights an estimated 123,000 to 293 000 additional new HIV infections and 69,000 to 148,000 additional AIDS related deaths between 2020 and 2022.
With respect to sexual behaviour, the UNAIDS said that though the impact of COVID 19 on HIV is clear, there was less understanding about its effect on sexual behaviour and rates of sexual transmission of HIV.
The report said that a survey among gay and bisexual men in the UK and Northern Ireland, where COVID-19 restrictions discourage sexual intercourse with a casual partner, showed that most of them abstained from casual sex during the lockdown. Switzerland was among the several countries that closed down its brothels during the lockdown. They re-opened with strict restrictions.
