The impact of SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on tuberculosis - the experience of Iasi County, Romania

SARS-CoV-2 infection has disrupted healthcare services worldwide. Romania has registered difficulties in carrying out tuberculosis (TB) control activities. Aim: evaluation of anti-TB activity in Iasi County in pandemic conditions and its reflection in epidemiometric indicators. Material and method: comparative retrospective study performed on data on TB control in Iasi County, between 2019 and 2020 The analyzed indicators reflect the surveillance and control of the disease, the treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI), the management of TB cases. Results: compared to 2019, in 2020 there were 33.5% fewer consultations performed to detect cases of TB infection/disease, 5% fewer tests for detection of LTBI, 50.7% fewer Mt bacteriological investigations and 39.7% fewer epidemiological investigations. The number of treated patients decreased by 1/4 in 2020 compared to 2019. The decrease of medical services is reflected in reduction in the global incidence by 40.5%; however, in the same periods, the incidence of TB in children did not register significant differences - 15.94% 000 versus 15.93% 000 sugesting an ongoing TB epidemic. Conclusions: • TB management in Iasi County recorded significant qualitative and quantitative deficiences during the SARS-CoV-2 infection; • The important drop of global incidence does not reflect the reality of the epidemiological process, as there is a stagnation in the incidence of childhood TB; • The experience of the last year shows that inventiveness and flexibility are needed in the management of TB in pandemic conditions.