Influence of Ebola on tuberculosis case finding and treatment outcomes in Liberia

Citations Over TimeTop 18% of 2017 papers

Abstract

Setting: National Leprosy and Tuberculosis (TB) Control Programme, Liberia. Objectives: To assess TB case finding, including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) associated interventions and treatment outcomes, before (January 2013-March 2014), during (April 2014-June 2015) and after (July-December 2015) the Ebola virus disease outbreak. Design: A cross-sectional study and retrospective cohort analysis of outcomes. Results: The mean quarterly numbers of individuals with presumptive TB and the proportion diagnosed as smear-positive were: pre-Ebola (n = 7032, 12%), Ebola (n = 6147, 10%) and post-Ebola (n = 6795, 8%). For all forms of TB, stratified by category and age group, there was a non-significant decrease in the number of cases from the pre-Ebola to the Ebola and post-Ebola periods. There were significant decreases in numbers of cases with smear-positive pulmonary TB (PTB) from the pre-Ebola period (n = 855), to the Ebola (n = 640, P n = 568, P P P Conclusion: The principal negative effects of Ebola were the significant decreases in diagnoses of smear-positive PTB, the declines in HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy uptake and poor treatment success. Ways to prevent these adverse effects from recurring in the event of another Ebola outbreak need to be found.

Related Papers

• → The Pathogenesis of Ebola Virus Disease(2016)400 cited
• → Clinical Evaluation of QuickNaviTM-Ebola in the 2018 Outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo(2019)22 cited
• → Laboratory diagnosis of Ebola virus disease and corresponding biosafety considerations in the China Ebola Treatment Center(2016)6 cited
• [Ebola Virus Disease (Ebola Hemorrhagic Fever)].(2016)
• → Ebola hemorrhagic fever(2014)