Despite 30 years as a public health emergency, tuberculosis (TB) remains one of the world's deadliest diseases. Most deaths are among persons with TB who are not reached with diagnosis and treatment. Thus, timely screening and accurate detection of TB, particularly using sensitive tools such as chest radiography, is crucial for reducing the global burden of this disease.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors wish to revise the second citation of reference [26] to [27] in the original article main text [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the COVID-19 pandemic surged, lockdowns led to the cancellation of essential health services. As part of our Zero TB activities in Karachi, we adapted our approach to integrate activities for TB and COVID-19 to decrease the impact on diagnosis and linkage to care for TB treatment. We implemented the following: (1) integrated COVID-19 screening and testing within existing TB program activities, along with the use of an artificial intelligence (AI) software reader on digital chest X-rays; (2) home delivery of medication; (3) use of telehealth and mental health counseling; (4) provision of PPE; (5) burnout monitoring of health workers; and (6) patient safety and disinfectant protocol.
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