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Scientists have warned that several hundred thousand extra deaths from tuberculosis are likely to occur this year due to the effect of Covid-19 on global health services.
In many countries, including South Africa, India, and Indonesia, doctors and health workers have been shifted from tracking TB cases to tracking people infected with Covid-19. Equipment and budgets have also been reallocated, a World Health Organization (WHO) survey revealed.
As a result, millions of TB diagnoses have been lost and, according to WHO, this is likely to result in 200,000 to 400,000 excess deaths from the disease this year alone, with an additional million new cases occurring each year. for the next five. years.
“This is just one example of the very difficult choices that had to be made to contain Covid-19,” said Thomas Kenyon, chief health officer of Project Hope, the humanitarian NGO. “Obviously it was essential to deal with the pandemic, but we cannot forget that we have other killers among us. We will have to be innovative in addressing them. “
Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death from infectious diseases in the world, outstripping both HIV and malaria. It is contagious and is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which commonly attacks the lungs but can affect any part of the body, from the bloodstream to the brain.
Humanity has lived with the threat of tuberculosis for millennia. The ancient Egyptians knew of its dangers and it is believed that Nefertiti and the husband of Pharaoh Akhenaten both died of tuberculosis around 1330 BC.
In modern times, tuberculosis has become a global plague and around 10 million people are believed to be infected with the disease each year, while around 1.5 million people die from it. WHO says the planet is now in the grip of the global TB epidemic, which it has pledged to defeat by 2030. The condition can be cured using a six-month drug regimen, provided a diagnosis is made in time . Major efforts to contain the disease began in 2015. Initially, efforts to contain it were successful and the number of deaths began to decline. This decline has recently slowed. One problem has been the spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of tuberculosis, particularly in the nations that made up the former Soviet Union.
With the arrival of Covid-19, the global battle against tuberculosis has received a further setback. According to the WHO, problems have arisen not only because key personnel have been reallocated from TB tracing to Covid testing, but also because critical equipment and materials have been redeployed. In addition, some countries have cut inpatient and outpatient care for tuberculosis patients.
A particular problem has arisen in relation to a test called GeneXpert, which is efficient in identifying the molecular signature of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in people with TB. The test is also very effective in identifying people who have Covid-19.
“Many countries have switched to using GeneXpert machines for Covid-19 testing instead of TB diagnostic tests,” said WHO, which said it also found numerous examples of staff reassignment and budget reallocation from TB at work Covid.
In India, Indonesia, the Philippines and South Africa – which account for 44% of all TB cases worldwide – this has led to a sharp decline in the number of people diagnosed with the disease between January and June of this year. “As a result, the global number of TB deaths could increase by about 0.2-0.4 million in 2020 alone,” predicts the WHO report.
He adds that Covid-19 is likely to affect the TB epidemic around the world in two other key ways: GDP per capita and malnutrition. “Modeling has suggested that the number of people developing TB could increase by over one million per year over the period 2020-2025. The impact on livelihoods from income loss or unemployment could also increase the proportion of people with TB and their families facing catastrophic costs. “
This point was made by Kenyon. “We must face the fact that we will suffer many deaths directly caused by Covid, but we must also realize that we will suffer many deaths indirectly caused by the disease,” he said.
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