Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals on COVID-19 in Lesotho: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Nyangu, Isabel; Ramathebane, Maseabata

doi:10.4236/jbm.2022.102005

Cited by 2 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 16 publications

(25 reference statements)

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“…In 2021 the estimated TB incidence sat at 614 per 100,000, the HIV prevalence among adults aged 15-49 years old was 20.9%, and there was approximately 55% TB/HIV coinfection [15][16][17]. The COVID-19 epidemic profoundly affected the health system in the country [18][19][20][21][22]. The first COVID-19 case was reported in May 2020, and up to December 2022, approximately 34,490 COVID-19 cases and 706 COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

Katende¹,

Bresser

Kamele³

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

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The surge of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged health services globally, and in Lesotho, the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services were similarly affected. Integrated, multi-disease diagnostic services were proposed solutions to mitigate these disruptions. We describe and evaluate the effect of an integrated, hospital-based COVID-19, TB and HIV screening and diagnostic model in two rural districts in Lesotho, during the period between December 2020 and August 2022. Adults, hospital staff, and children above 5 years attending two hospitals were pre-screened for COVID-19 and TB symptoms. After a positive pre-screening, participants were offered to enroll in a service model that included clinical evaluation, chest radiography, SARS-CoV-2, TB, and HIV testing. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19, TB, or HIV were contacted after 28 days to evaluate their health status and linkage to HIV and/or TB care services. Of the 179160 participants pre-screened, 6623(3.7%) pre-screened positive, and 4371(66%) were enrolled in this service model. Of the total 458 diagnoses, only 17 happened in children. One positive rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 was found per 11 participants enrolled, one Xpert-positive TB case was diagnosed per 85 people enrolled, and 1 new HIV diagnosis was done per 182 people enrolled. Of the 321(82.9%) participants contacted after 28 days of diagnosis, 304(94.7%) reported to be healthy. Of the individuals that were newly diagnosed with HIV or TB, 18/24(75.0%) and 46/51(90.1%) started treatment within 28 days of the diagnosis. This screening and diagnostic model successfully maintained same-day, integrated COVID-19, TB, and HIV testing services, despite frequent disruptions caused by the surge of COVID-19 waves, healthcare seeking patterns, and the volatile context (social measures, travel restrictions, population lockdowns). There were positive effects in avoiding diagnostic delays and ensuring linkage to services, however, diagnostic yields for adults and children were low. To inform future preparedness plans, research will need to identify essential health interventions and how to optimize them along each phase of the emergency response.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

Katende¹,

Bresser

Kamele³

et al. 2023

PLOS Glob Public Health

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

Katende¹,

Bresser

Kamele³

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Introduction The surge of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged health services globally, and in Lesotho, the HIV and tuberculosis (TB) services were similarly affected. Integrated, multi-disease diagnostic services were proposed solutions to mitigate these disruptions. We describe and evaluate the effect of an integrated, hospital-based COVID-19, TB and HIV screening and diagnostic model in two rural districts in Lesotho, during the period between December 2020 and August 2022. Methods Adults and children above 5 years attending two hospitals were screened for COVID-19 and TB symptoms. After a positive screening, participants were offered to enroll in a service model that included clinical evaluation, chest radiography, SARS-CoV-2, Xpert MTB/RIF Ultra and HIV testing. Participants diagnosed with COVID-19, TB, or HIV were contacted after 28 days evaluate their health status, and linkage to HIV or TB services. Results Of the 179160 participants screened, 6623(37%) screened positive, and 4371(66%) were enrolled in this service model, yielding a total of 458 diagnoses. One positive rapid antigen test for SARS-CoV-2 was found per 11 participants screened, one Xpert-positive TB case was diagnosed per 85 people screened, and 1 new HIV diagnosis was done per 182 people screened. Of the 321(82.9%) participants contacted after 28 days of diagnosis, 304(94.7%) reported to be healthy. Of the individuals that were newly diagnosed with HIV or TB, 18/24(75.0%) and 46/51(90.1%) started treatment. This service showed no difference in the detection of new HIV and TB cases when compared to other hospitals, where no such integrated service model was provided. Conclusion This screening and diagnostic model successfully maintained same-day, integrated COVID-19, TB, and HIV testing services through different COVID-19 incidence periods in a resource-limited context. There were positive effects in avoiding diagnostic delays and ensuring linkage to services, however, efficiencies were contingent on the successful adaptation to the changing environment.

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Perceptions of Healthcare Professionals on COVID-19 in Lesotho: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Cited by 2 publications

References 16 publications

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

Impact of a multi-disease integrated screening and diagnostic model for COVID-19, TB, and HIV in Lesotho

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