Tuberculosis

The news about the Covid-19 pandemic keeps changing. The number of causality keeps rising every day. It is safe to say that no one seems to be paying attention to other diseases that are still affecting society today. Tuberculosis kills 4000 individuals a day and 1.5 million each year according to a Forbes article. Covid-19 is affecting TB services all around the world. Not only is Covid-19 affecting TB services but many people with tuberculosis are scared of how vulnerable they are to this new spreading virus.

As the World Health Organization stated, a quarter of the world’s population is estimated to be infected with some sort of tuberculosis bacteria. TB preventative treatments are still being neglected. To test for the disease, WHO has focused on recommending either a TB skin test or an interferon-gamma release assay. WHO states that taking prevention from other diseases, such as TB, could serve as a leverage to prevent Covid-19. WHO is calling governments to donate to the cause of TB preventatives treatments to make it affordable for everyone.

After reading these two articles, I gained a sense of distress and relief. It is hard to wrap my mind that the health care system has come to the situation of having to choose what type of patients they should give care to. Though it is unbelievable, this is what it has come to be. After reading the second article, I found some sense of relief. WHO was made new recommendations that could serve as leverage to prevent Covid-19.