Collateral impact of COVID-19 pandemic on Tuberculosis burden and management

1. Environmental Pollution and Analysis Lab, Industrial Research and Scientific Innovations, Bhiwadi 2. Amity Institute of Biotechnology, Amity University Haryana, Gurugram

- Zoya Quddoos and Saif Hameed

Tuberculosis (TB) is a deadly infectious disease that has been around for almost 3 million years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Like SARS-CoV-2 causing COVID-19, TB also attacks the respiratory system of the infected person and spreads through close contact with the patient. Years after the discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis by Robert Koch, TB remains a significant cause of death worldwide. India has the highest burden of TB in the world with an estimated 40% of the population infected by the bacteria. With the onset of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the focus has rightly shifted from TB to COVID-19. The limelight that COVID-19 earned is not an issue, being a pandemic is entitled for such a place in media to educate the population. However, the problem emerges when the entire focus is targeted at one disease while other major health issues like TB are neglected.

The problem