Docsun Biomed Report on Slow Progress against Tuberculosis Due To COVID 19 Pandemic

JHUBEI CITY, Taiwan - Dec. 10, 2021 - PRLog -- The COVID-19 pandemic's disruption to health services has seen an increase in tuberculosis deaths in Africa, the first such rise in more than a decade, while the decline in new cases slowed down, an analysis by World Health Organization (WHO) shows.

The African region has made progress against tuberculosis, reducing cases by 19% between 2015 and 2020—reflecting a decline of 4–10% per year in South Africa and several other in southern Africa countries. However, the region reported 549 000 deaths in 2020, an increase of around 2000 over 2019 and while cases fell modestly by 2.5% in 2020 from 1.4 million the previous year, there were significant drops in reporting of new infections in countries with high tuberculosis burden including Angola, South Africa and Zimbabwe—all of which have grappled with high COVID-19 cases.

Reallocation of resources and health workforce to tackle COVID-19 in many African countries as well as drastic pandemic response measures such as lockdowns greatly reduced access to key health services including tuberculosis diagnosis and treatment. The African region is home to 17 of the 30 countries globally that have the highest burden of tuberculosis and the trend seen in the region follows a rise in tuberculosis cases worldwide due to the COVID-19 impact.

The WHO End Tuberculosis Strategy sets key targets to end the disease. Countries should aim for a 90% reduction in tuberculosis deaths and an 80% reduction in case by 2030 compared with 2015.

Tuberculosis is the leading killer of people with HIV and the African region has the highest burden of HIV-associated tuberculosis. Factors including insufficient funding for programmes, limited access to modern diagnostic tools as well as low implementation of preventive treatment hinder progress against the disease.

Addressing factors such as poor living and working conditions as well as risk factors including HIV infection, malnutrition, diabetes, smoking and alcohol abuse have the potential to drive down the tuberculosis epidemic. This is possible through collaborative efforts involving the health sector, other government bodies, the private sector, non-governmental organizations donors and communities.

Despite the challenges, there has been progress on other key indicators. For instance, most African countries have met or exceeded the goal of providing at least 90% of HIV-positive tuberculosis patients with antiretroviral treatment during their treatment for tuberculosis. In five countries—Burundi, Mauritius, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles and Sierra Leone—100% of HIV-positive tuberculosis patients were reported as having started or continued ART while being treated for tuberculosis.

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Original links to the article: - https://www.afro.who.int/news/covid-19-pandemic-slows-progress-against-tuberculosis