Andina

Peruvian doctors investigate interaction between TB and COVID-19

17:21 | Lima, Aug. 5.

To date, there is no official data on the number of people affected by tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19, simultaneously, around the world, according to the WHO Global TB Programme.

That is why Dos de Mayo Hospital doctors will conduct a research in order to know the interaction between both diseases.

Supported by artificial intelligence (AI), the physicians will automate the data, which could later serve for early diagnosis of such cases.

The initiative is one of the winning projects of the contest "Program for Multidisciplinary COVID-19 Research Projects of the National University of San Marcos (UNMSM)."

The research is led by Dr. Eduardo Ticona, professor at UNMSM and physician at the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at Dos de Mayo Hospital.

He is joined by a multidisciplinary team which also includes thesis students from different faculties.

According to Dr. Cesar Ticona, co-head of the research team, the project aims to generate diagnostic patterns to differentiate one disease from the other at an early stage.

What does WHO say about COVID-19 and TB?

In this regard, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), a regional office of the World Health Organization (WHO), states that while experience on COVID-19 infection in TB patients remains limited, it is anticipated that people ill with both TB and COVID-19 may have poorer treatment outcomes, especially if TB treatment is interrupted.

TB patients should take precautions as advised by health authorities to be protected from COVID-19 and continue their treatment as prescribed.

(END) MFA/RMB/MVB

Published: 8/5/2020