Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Control
Summary
The COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted global efforts to prevent, diagnose and treat tuberculosis (TB). Public health measures designed to curb SARS-CoV-2 transmission—such as movement restrictions, reallocation of diagnostic resources and reduced clinic attendance—have led to sharp declines in TB case notifications and treatment initiation. Interruptions to routine screening and contact tracing have exacerbated under-ascertainment, while supply-chain challenges have limited access to essential diagnostics and drugs. These setbacks have been unevenly distributed, with high-burden and resource-limited settings experiencing the greatest service disruptions. Modelling studies suggest that even temporary declines in case detection and treatment coverage will translate into increases in TB incidence and mortality in coming years. The pandemic has also highlighted opportunities for integrated testing approaches, digital adherence support and multisectoral coordination to strengthen resilience of TB programmes against future shocks.
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Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Control publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in impact of the covid-19 pandemic on tuberculosis control across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Case notification rate: Number of new tuberculosis cases reported to public health authorities per 100 000 population over a defined period.
Treatment coverage: Proportion of individuals diagnosed with tuberculosis who initiate and receive a full course of therapy.
Diagnostic delay: Time interval between onset of TB symptoms and confirmation of diagnosis.
Interrupted time-series analysis: Statistical approach that assesses changes in outcome trends before and after an intervention or event.
Modelling scenarios: Projections derived from mathematical frameworks used to estimate disease burden under different assumptions about service disruptions and interventions.
References
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis control in Indonesia: a nationwide longitudinal analysis of programme data. The Lancet Global Health (2023).
- Potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria in low-income and middle-income countries: a modelling study. The Lancet Global Health (2020).
- The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis treatment outcomes in 49 high burden countries. BMC Medicine (2024).
- Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Tuberculosis Control: An Overview. Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease (2020).
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