Study report: Adaptations made in TB response during Covid-19 pandemic in Georgia

The CIF research team publishes study report entitled “What adaptations were made in TB response during Covid-19 pandemic in Georgia: health systems perspective on the implications for TB case detection and treatment provision”. The research project aimed to study how the state tuberculosis program in Georgia adapted during the Covid-19 pandemic: what was the impact of the pandemic on tuberculosis detection and treatment rates. In particular, the study aims to answer the following two questions:

  1. How have the restrictions caused by Covid-19 affected the response of the TB system during the pandemic.
  2. What the TB program should do to reduce the negative impact of the Covid-19 epidemic on TB prevention and treatment services.

Tuberculosis is an important public health problem in Georgia. Despite significant progress in TB control over the past decade, the country faces a number of significant challenges that require further intensified and well-organized efforts to implement effective control by ensuring universal access to prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of all forms of the disease. The TB epidemic may be exacerbated by the new Corona virus. Studies conducted in different countries have shown that the detection of tuberculosis has significantly decreased as a result of the pandemic caused by Covid-19 and the restrictions imposed. according to the National Center for Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, which is responsible for national statistics, after the Covid-19 pandemic the detection of tuberculosis cases decreased by about one third compared to the same period before the pandemic. Our research investigated the reasons of decreased detection and assessed the changes in the National TB program. The document provides set of recommendations about possible steps during the similar pandemics in future.

The Curatio International Foundation is grateful to the World Health Organization Tropical Diseases Research Center (TDR/WHO) for the financial support that made the study possible.

The authors are grateful to the key informants for their invaluable cooperation and support in preparing the case study.

Please see the full document here. 

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