Covid-19 has severely set back the fight against other infectious diseases like HIV, Tuberculosis (TB), and Malaria. TB is one of the major public health challenges that India is facing today. It carries the burden of nearly a third of TB cases reported globally. It had aimed to eliminate the disease by 2025 – 5 years ahead of the global target. However, the pandemic had disrupted care and disease diagnoses as hospitals focussed on Covid-care.
“The health system is not designed to do early screening for infectious or non-communicable diseases in vulnerable populations in India,” said Leena Meghaney, South Asian Head-Access Campaign, Medecins Sans Frontieres.
TB is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which usually attacks the lungs. When people suffering from lung TB cough or sneeze they propel TB bacteria into the air and carry them in tiny droplets called aerosols. A person can get infected by inhaling only a few of these germs. It is the world’s deadliest infectious…