Community action for people with HIV and sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

Community action for people with HIV and sex workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in India

Sex workers have been one of the marginalized groups that have been particularly affected by India's stringent lockdown in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The sudden loss of livelihood and lack of access to health care and social protection intensified the vulnerab...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:WHO South-East Asia journal of public health Vol. 9; no. 2; p. 104
Main Authors: Reza-Paul, Sushena, Lazarus, Lisa, Haldar, Partha, Reza Paul, Manisha, Lakshmi, Bhagya, Ramaiah, Manjula, Pasha, Akram, Hafeez Ur Rahman, Syed, Venukumar, K T, Venugopa, M S, Rewari, Bharat Bhushan, Lorway, Robert
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: India 01-09-2020
Subjects:
Anti-Retroviral Agents - therapeutic use
Community Participation
Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology
COVID-19
HIV Infections - drug therapy
HIV Infections - epidemiology
Humans
India - epidemiology
Pandemics
Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology
Sex Workers
India
emergency response
community
sex workers
antiretroviral therapy
India
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Summary:Sex workers have been one of the marginalized groups that have been particularly affected by India's stringent lockdown in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The sudden loss of livelihood and lack of access to health care and social protection intensified the vulnerabilities of sex workers, especially those living with HIV. In response, Ashodaya Samithi, an organization of more than 6000 sex workers, launched an innovative programme of assistance in four districts in Karnataka. Since access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) was immediately disrupted, Ashodaya adapted its HIV outreach programme to form an alternative, community-led system of distributing ART at discreet, private sites. WhatsApp messaging was used to distribute information on accessing government social benefits made available in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other assistance included advisory messages posted in WhatsApp groups to raise awareness, dispel myths and mitigate violence, and regular, discreet phone check-ins to follow up on the well-being of members. The lessons learnt from these activities represent an important opportunity to consider more sustainable approaches to the health of marginalized populations that can enable community organizations to be better prepared to respond to other public health crises as they emerge.
ISSN:2304-5272
DOI:10.4103/2224-3151.294302