Worldwide Effects of Coronavirus Disease Pandemic on Tuberculosis Services, January–April 2020

Abstract

Coronavirus disease has disrupted tuberculosis services globally. Data from 33 centers in 16 countries on 5 continents showed that attendance at tuberculosis centers was lower during the first 4 months of the pandemic in 2020 than for the same period in 2019. Resources are needed to ensure tuberculosis care continuity during the pandemic.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis laboratory services in Europe

“…Results of our survey complement earlier studies on clinical TB services [ 8 , 14 , 15 ] and demonstrate that the most severe disruption to key TB NRL services occurred in the beginning of the pandemic and coincided with a significant drop in the number of specimens received. By June, most aspects of TB NRLs activities had not returned to normal and both primary and reference services workload remained significantly lower compared to the pre-pandemic period highlighting the major impact of COVID-19 currently experienced by public healthcare systems in many European countries.…”

“…In the information note issued on 12 th May 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) urged WHO member states to maintain essential services for people affected by TB during the COVID-19 pandemic [ 10 ] recognising the potentially devastating effect of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated response on TB programmes [ 11 ]. Laboratory diagnostic services, considered a cornerstone of any country's capacity to manage TB, are likely to be severely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and associated response due to re-allocation of resources.…”

Opportunities from a new disease for an old threat: Extending COVID-19 efforts to address tuberculosis in South Africa

“…[9,10] The substantial effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB services globally has been reported. [11] With the disruptions and reorganisation of services in response to the pandemic, delays in TB diagnosis and treatment initiation may result in increased transmission and new cases. Globally a projected setback of 5 -8 years in TB incidence and deaths is projected for 2021, with TB mortality estimated to increase by 20%.…”

Impact of COVID-19 on Tuberculosis Control

“…3 A study conducted in 33 centres in 16 countries on five continents reported that during confinement 82% of centres showed reductions in TB-associated hospital discharges, 84% of centres reported a decrease in newly diagnosed active TB cases, 95% showed a decrease newly LTBI outpatient visits, and 75% and 81% of centres showed reductions in TB and LTBI outpatient visits, respectively. 13 Estimates of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the TB response suggest that a 3-month lockdown and a 10-month protracted recovery could result in 6.3 million additional TB cases between 2020 and 2025, and 1.4 million additional TB deaths during this time. These numbers would imply a regression of at least 5–8 years in the fight against TB.…”