Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis services

In Portugal, Outpatient Tuberculosis Centres (OTBC) are responsible for the diagnosis, treatment, screening and prevention of tuberculosis (TB), and only severe or resistant cases are hospitalized.

To understand how infection control norms and standards were applied and how these centres responded during the pandemic.

We sent an electronic questionnaire to all coordinators of OTBC. The questionnaire included questions on infection control during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluation of the functioning of the OTBC in two periods: during the 1^st National State of Emergency and after 1 year.

Thirty-two responses were obtained (52.5%). The infection control norms were globally applied; diagnosis, treatment, and prevention were kept, and contact screening was only affected during the 1^st State of Emergency. However, half of the respondents (53.1%) believed that there were diagnostic delays during the 1^st State of Emergency, rising to 68.8% after 1 year. Only 31.3% performed Directly Observed Therapy (DOT) in all patients during the 1^st State of Emergency, and 59.4% after 1 year. Half the inquiries expected an increase in TB incidence in the near future.

The pandemic affected OTBC functioning, although the services were kept open; diagnostic delay and DOT appliance were the most affected.