Barriers to treatment adherence for female Tuberculosis (TB) patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: Qualitative evidence from front-line TB interventions in Bengaluru City, India

• DOI: 10.4103/ijph.ijph_1146_21
• Publication Date: 2023-08-07T13:02:38Z
• Authors: Sobin George; Aditi Paranjpe; Prajwal Nagesh; Mohamed Saalim
• Keywords: Pandemic; Front line

Available evidence shows that India's ongoing COVID-19 pandemic response has adversely affected the national tuberculosis elimination program.The study attempted to understand barriers successful treatment adherence for female (TB) patients due disruptions caused by pandemic.The draws on qualitative in-depth interviews conducted with and TB health visitors from Bengaluru city before during period using a grounded theory approach.While potential push who worked in informal arrangements joblessness poverty, situation exacerbated these vulnerabilities. The slowed down or suspended vital frontline interventions such as active case finding, distribution of medicine, follow-up sputum examination, monitoring medicine intake, patient support measures.The pandemic-induced vulnerable can lead adverse outcomes including disease relapse drug resistance. It is hence suggested there an urgent need recasting India context order achieve goal elimination.