Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, Pakistan.
Jinnah Medical and Dental College, Karachi, Pakistan.
Int J Health Plann Manage. 2021 Nov;36(6):2441-2445. doi: 10.1002/hpm.3291. Epub 2021 Jul 27.
Peru is one of the countries with the highest incidence of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis in the world. Although public health measures adopted in the country have improved the care, diagnosis and management of patients with tuberculosis, there are still failures in the control of the disease in the country, especially of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis and among the prison population or people living with HIV. The COVID-19 pandemic has added a great burden to the Peruvian public health system, negatively impacting tuberculosis-focused health programs due to the diversion of resources to control the pandemic. Consequently, combat measures, epidemiological surveillance of tuberculosis cases were affected, and data point to an increase in the number of cases, especially of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis, and to the underdiagnosis of the disease. To deal with this problem and avoid a future catastrophe for the country's health system, multidisciplinary measures involving the population, health professionals and government bodies are needed. It is essential that education, diagnosis, contact screening and treatment programs are prioritised and given greater financial support. Furthermore, it is necessary to raise awareness in the population about the need for isolation and maintenance of treatment, especially among the most vulnerable populations.
秘鲁是世界上结核病和耐多药结核病发病率最高的国家之一。尽管该国采取的公共卫生措施改善了对结核病患者的护理、诊断和管理,但该国在控制疾病方面仍存在失败,特别是耐多药结核病以及监狱人口或艾滋病毒感染者。COVID-19 大流行给秘鲁公共卫生系统带来了巨大负担,由于资源转向控制大流行,结核病为重点的卫生方案受到负面影响。因此,防治措施、结核病病例的流行病学监测受到影响,数据显示病例数量增加,特别是耐多药结核病病例增加,以及该病漏诊。为了解决这个问题,避免国家卫生系统未来出现灾难,需要采取涉及人口、卫生专业人员和政府机构的多学科措施。优先考虑并提供更多财政支持教育、诊断、接触筛查和治疗方案至关重要。此外,有必要提高公众对隔离和维持治疗的必要性的认识,特别是在最脆弱的人群中。