London, July 14 -- But there is still an opportunity to substantially reduce the death toll by prioritising the most critical services, specifically antiretroviral therapy for HIV, timely TB diagnosis and treatment, and provision of long-lasting insecticide-treated nets for malaria, researchers say.

Some low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) could see HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria deaths increase by as much as 10%, 20%, and 36% respectively over the next 5 years due to the disruption of health services caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and its response, according new modelling research published in The Lancet Global Health journal.

The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to cause substantial disruptions by overwhelming already fr...