A RETROSPECTIVE CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY INVESTIGATING THE PREVALENCE OF COVID-19 AND TB COINFECTION IN PATIENTS IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA.

Background: The co-occurrence of tuberculosis (TB) and Covid-19 pose significant challenges to publichealth systems worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of TB and Covid-19 co-infection, explore the correlation between TB status and Covid-19 results and examinethe distribution of co-infection across different age groups in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using data retrieved from a laboratory database,including 1241 TB patient results between April 2020 and April 2021. Diagnostic methodsfor TB included microscopy, culture, GeneXpert, and line probe. Covid-19 test results werecategorized as positive, negative, or inconclusive. Statistical analysis, including statisticalsignificance tests, was performed to assess the correlation between TB status, Covid-19 co-infection, and age groups.Results: Among the TB patients, 3.95% were diagnosed using microscopy, 7.01% using culture,88.80% using GeneXpert, and 0.24% using line probe. Out of the 1241 TB patients, 50%were males and 49% were females. Among the tested patients, 84% tested negative for Covid-19, 14.5% tested positive, and 1% had inconclusive findings. The statisticalsignificance analysis indicated no significant correlation between TB status and Covid-19 co-infection (p > 0.05). However, a significant association was observed between age groups and Covid-19 co-infection (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Although no significant correlation was found between TB status and Covid-19 co-infection, there was a significant association between age groups and co-infection rates. These findings highlight the need for tailored screening, prevention, and treatment strategies considering different age groups. The study contributes to the existing literature and can inform healthcare policies and interventions related to TB and Covid-19 co-infection. Recommendation: To address the co-infection, we recommend strengthening surveillance, enhancing awareness, conducting further research, improving infection control, and developing integrated healthcare approaches

Evidence of TB Services at Primary Healthcare Level during COVID-19: A Scoping Review

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health concern, despite the availability of preventative and curative therapies. Significant progress has been made in the past decade towards its control. However, the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted numerous essential health services, including those for TB. This scoping review maps the available evidence on TB services at the primary healthcare (PHC) level during the COVID-19 period. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed, Web of Science, Medline OVID, Medline EBSCO, and Scopus. A total of 820 articles were retrieved from the databases and 21 met the eligibility criteria and were used for data extraction. The emerging themes were the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB services, patient and provider experiences, recommendations for TB services during the COVID-19 period, and the implementation of the recommendations. The review found that the mitigation strategies, as well as fear and stigma experienced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to TB cases potentially going undetected, which may threaten TB treatment outcomes. Therefore, efforts must be directed at finding these missing cases and ensuring that PHC facilities are equipped to adequately diagnose and treat them

Evidence of TB services at primary healthcare level during COVID-19 : a scoping review

Tuberculosis (TB) is still a major public health concern, despite the availability of preventative and curative therapies. Significant progress has been made in the past decade towards its control. However, the emergence of the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has disrupted numerous essential health services, including those for TB. This scoping review maps the available evidence on TB services at the primary healthcare (PHC) level during the COVID-19 period. A comprehensive literature search was conducted in PubMed,Web of Science, Medline OVID, Medline EBSCO, and Scopus. A total of 820 articles were retrieved from the databases and 21 met the eligibility criteria and were used for data extraction. The emerging themes were the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on TB services, patient and provider experiences, recommendations for TB services during the COVID-19 period, and the implementation of the recommendations. The review found that the mitigation strategies, as well as fear and stigma experienced at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic may have led to TB cases potentially going undetected, which may threaten TB treatment outcomes. Therefore, efforts must be directed at finding these missing cases and ensuring that PHC facilities are equipped to adequately diagnose and treat them.This presentation/publication has been made possible by funding from UNICEF and with support from Future Africa, the University of Pretoria.https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diagnosticsam2022School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Barriers and enablers for implementation of digital-linked diagnostics models at point-of-care in South Africa: stakeholder engagement

Abstract The integration of digital technologies holds significant promise in enhancing accessibility to disease diagnosis and treatment at point-of-care (POC) settings. Effective implementation of such interventions necessitates comprehensive stakeholder engagements. This study presents the outcomes of a workshop conducted with key stakeholders, aiming to discern barriers and enablers in implementing digital-connected POC diagnostic models in South Africa. The workshop, a component of the 2022 REASSURED Diagnostics symposium, employed the nominal group technique (NGT) and comprised two phases: Phase 1 focused on identifying barriers, while Phase 2 centered on enablers for the implementation of digital-linked POC diagnostic models. Stakeholders identified limited connectivity, restricted offline functionality, and challenges related to load shedding or rolling electricity blackouts as primary barriers. Conversely, ease of use, subsidies provided by the National Health Insurance, and 24-h assistance emerged as crucial enablers for the implementation of digital-linked POC diagnostic models. The NGT workshop proved to be an effective platform for elucidating key barriers and enablers in implementing digital-linked POC diagnostic models. Subsequent research endeavors should concentrate on identifying optimal strategies for implementing these advanced diagnostic models in underserved populations