Title:Effects of COVID-19 Pandemic on Pulmonary Tuberculosis (TB) Occurrence in the South of Iran
Volume: 21
Issue: 3
Author(s): Reza Faryabi, Ali Kamali, Rasoul Raesi, Kiavash Hushmandi, Seyed Saeed Tabatabaee, Hedyeh Askarpour, Shohreh Alian Samakkhah and Salman Daneshi*
Affiliation:
- Department of Public Health, School of Health, Jiroft University of Medical Sciences, Jiroft, Iran
Keywords:
Tuberculosis (TB), COVID-19 pandemic, acute respiratory syndrome, infectious diseases, awareness programs, tuberculosis microbe.
Abstract:
Background and Objective: Tuberculosis (TB) was one of the most challenging diseases
in terms of diagnosis, treatment, and control during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present
study was conducted to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the incidence of tuberculosis.
Materials and Methods: This study was cross-sectional, based on a census of all patients with tuberculosis
whose information was available in the tuberculosis registration system of the Health
Vice-Chancellor of Jiroft University of Medical Sciences from 2016 to 2021. In this study, demographic
information and variables related to the type of tuberculosis, disease case, treatment result,
and treatment regimen were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire.
Results: The incidence of tuberculosis during the COVID-19 pandemic was significantly reduced
by 57% compared to the pre-pandemic period. There was no significant difference between the
pre-COVID-19 era and the pandemic era in terms of demographic variables and several determining
factors in TB patients.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic was found to impact the control of the tuberculosis program.
Delays in referral, diagnosis, and treatment led to an increase in the spread of tuberculosis,
particularly within households, an increase in the number of deaths, and an increase in drug resistance
of the tuberculosis microbe. Therefore, it is recommended that awareness programs for the
public about tuberculosis be organized and that more education be provided to health and treatment
staff about tuberculosis to ensure that the control measures implemented in recent decades
are not wasted.
