Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Control: An Overview

Overview

Journal Trop Med Infect Dis

Specialty Infectious Diseases

Date 2020 Jul 30

PMID 32722014

Citations 70

Authors

Kefyalew Addis Alene

Kinley Wangdi

Archie C A Clements

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Throughout history, pandemics of viral infections such as HIV, Ebola and Influenza have disrupted health care systems, including the prevention and control of endemic diseases. Such disruption has resulted in an increased burden of endemic diseases in post-pandemic periods. The current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic could cause severe dysfunction in the prevention and control of tuberculosis (TB), the infectious disease that causes more deaths than any other, particularly in low- and middle-income countries where the burden of TB is high. The economic and health crisis created by the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the public health measures currently taken to stop the spread of the virus may have an impact on household TB transmission, treatment and diagnostic services, and TB prevention and control programs. Here, we provide an overview of the potential impact of COVID-19 on TB programs and disease burden, as well as possible strategies that could help to mitigate the impact.

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