Impact of COVID-19 on tuberculosis: A complex global disaster

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an extremely negative impact on the already existing tuberculosis (TB) pandemic. COVID-19 is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), whereas TB is caused by a bacterium known as Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). The consistent TB spread had been occurring well before the COVID-19 pandemic began, and previously undiagnosed TB cases have become more prominent just recently because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the close-quarters and stagnant lifestyle that COVID-19 has pressed upon many communities generates a breeding ground for both SARS-CoV-2 and Mtb infections. There has also been an impact on the ability of those with existing TB infections to seek treatment, both financially and physically. At present, there is no effective vaccine against TB, whereas effective COVID-19 vaccines have been approved and administered worldwide. However, vaccine inequity has been inadvertently contributing to the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants with dire implications for the control and eradication of TB. The COVID-19 may be controlled soon, but only after adversely affecting the global TB eradication efforts. This review focuses on how the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the already existing TB pandemic and the possible ways to combat the social synergism of these two strikingly similar infections.