Climate change is an HIV story. Here’s how to report it
Climate change is increasingly disrupting healthcare access for vulnerable populations, as seen in the case of an HIV patient in South Africa who lost his medication during severe flooding. Experts warn that extreme weather events threaten to reverse progress in HIV treatment by destroying infrastructure and medical records.
Why it matters
It highlights the intersection of climate change and public health, showing how environmental disasters can dismantle essential medical support systems for chronic disease patients.
On April 12 2022, Mfundo Shezi woke when the skies cracked open and unleashed a merciless deluge over KwaZulu-Natal . The 32-year-old, who usually sleeps in a park in Umbilo in Durban, immediately fled for shelter, abandoning all he owned.
Shezi didn’t have much, but by the time he returned the next morning, he found that the flood had taken all of his possessions. That included his ID and his monthly supply of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for HIV, which he had been taking faithfully since he started treatment in 2021.
“On that day, I missed a dose for the first time,” he told Bhekisisa . Without taking his HIV medications consistently, he knew he’d get sick.
Also covering this story
One other newsroom covered this event. We read that version too.
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