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Abstract

We assessed the impact of COVID-19 on diagnostic services for tuberculosis (TB) by national reference laboratories in the WHO European Region. Of 35 laboratories, 30 reported declines in TB sample numbers, amounting up to > 50% of the pre-COVID-19 volumes. Sixteen reported reagent or consumable shortages. Nineteen reallocated ressources to SARS-CoV-2 testing, resulting in an overall increase in workload, largely without a concomitant increase in personnel (n = 14). This poses a risk to meeting the 2025 milestones of the End TB Strategy.

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/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426
2021-06-17
2025-04-01
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426
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References

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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis national reference laboratory services in the WHO European Region, March to November 2020
<p class="citation"> <span>Citation style for this article:</span> <span class="meta-value authors"> <a href="/search?value1=Florian+P+Maurer&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Maurer Florian P</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Natalia+Shubladze&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Shubladze Natalia</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Gulmira+Kalmambetova&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kalmambetova Gulmira</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Irina+Felker&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Felker Irina</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Giorgi+Kuchukhidze&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Kuchukhidze Giorgi</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Francis+Drobniewski&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Drobniewski Francis</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Askar+Yedilbayev*&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Yedilbayev* Askar</a>, <a href="/search?value1=Soudeh+Ehsani&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">Ehsani Soudeh</a>, <a href="/search?value1=The+European+Laboratory+Initiative+on+TB%2C+HIV+and+Viral+Hepatitis&option1=author&noRedirect=true" class="nonDisambigAuthorLink">The European Laboratory Initiative on TB, HIV and Viral Hepatitis</a></span>. Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tuberculosis national reference laboratory services in the WHO European Region, March to November 2020. <a href="/content/ecdc">Euro Surveill.</a> 2021;26(24):pii=2100426. <a href="https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426" title="doi link" target="_blank">https://doi.org/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426</a> <span class="ES_Article_citation"> <span class="generated">Received</span>: 22 Apr 2021;&nbsp;&nbsp; <span class="generated">Accepted</span>: 17 Jun 2021 </span> </p>
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426
/content/10.2807/1560-7917.ES.2021.26.24.2100426
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