Implementing effective TB prevention and treatment programmes in the COVID-19 era in Zimbabwe. A call for innovative differentiated service delivery models

Leroy Gore Nhari; Mathias Dzobo; Itai Chitungo; Knowledge Denhere; Godfrey Musuka; Tafadzwa Dzinamarira

doi:10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100058

Implementing effective TB prevention and treatment programmes in the COVID-19 era in Zimbabwe. A call for innovative differentiated service delivery models

Public Health Pract (Oxf). 2020 Nov:1:100058. doi: 10.1016/j.puhip.2020.100058. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Authors

Leroy Gore Nhari¹, Mathias Dzobo², Itai Chitungo², Knowledge Denhere³, Godfrey Musuka⁴, Tafadzwa Dzinamarira⁵

Affiliations

¹ National Tuberculosis Reference Laboratory, Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.
² College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe.
³ School of Public Health, University of Western Cape, South Africa.
⁴ ICAP at Columbia University, Harare, Zimbabwe.
⁵ Department of Public Health Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 4001, South Africa.

Abstract

The arrival of COVID-19 has disrupted health service provision globally. In this note, the authors discuss the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the provision of tuberculosis (TB) services in Zimbabwe. TB is endemic in the country and disruption of services may potentially have serious consequences for patients with existing and undiagnosed TB. In this letter, the authors discuss the need for innovative strategies that ensure TB prevention and treatment services in a manner which reduces COVID-19 risk to patients and healthcare workers.