Yearly at least 10 million people fall ill with tuberculosis throughout the world resulting in more than 1.5m deaths. On the 15th June total Coronavirus infections worldwide were at just over 8 million with 435,977 deaths. Whilst the world has been turned upside down by the novel Coronavirus - COVID-19 (SARS-COV-2), governments with high TB burdens (South Africa being one) have to remain vigilant to ensure that TB control measures remain in place. Both diseases affect the lung, with similar symptoms, yet TB has a longer incubation period and different infection control and transmission dynamics. The relationship between TB and COVID-19 is to a large extent still unknown. There has been much speculation regarding the role of BCG, the vaccine against TB in the fight against COVID-19 and the possible knock-on effect that COVID-19 could have on TB.
Topic: Impact of COVID-19 and TB in South Africa: status and unintended consequences
Prof Nazir Ismail
MBChB, FCPath(SA) Micro, MMed (Micro), PDIC, DTM&H
Professor Nazir Ismail is a Permanent Professor in the Department of Medical Microbiology at the University of Pretoria.
Topic: Meeting a new invisible enemy whilst fighting an old one: TB and COVID
Prof Keertan Dheda
MBBCh (Wits), FCP (SA), FCCP, FRCP (Lond), PhD (Lond); NRF A-rated Scientist
Professor Keertan Dheda is a South African National Research Foundation ‘A’-rated clinician scientist
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https://foundation.eventsair.com/tb-and-covid-online-session/tbcovid