{"id":49917,"date":"2021-03-24T11:40:36","date_gmt":"2021-03-24T10:40:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/?p=49917"},"modified":"2021-03-24T12:11:36","modified_gmt":"2021-03-24T11:11:36","slug":"tb-community-2021","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bmj.com\/bmj\/2021\/03\/24\/tb-community-2021\/","title":{"rendered":"The TB community in 2021\u2014tired, frustrated, but hopeful"},"content":{"rendered":"

The TB community continues to tackle one of the world’s oldest epidemics while struggling with the newest one, writes Catherine\u00a0Berry<\/span><\/p>\n

The year 2020 was like no other. <\/span>And the tuberculosis (TB) community is tired. Much of last year was spent managing covid-19 and trying to keep existing services going. TB diagnostics were diverted, supply chains interrupted, and lockdowns meant getting to appointments and even picking up drugs was impossible for many patients. Like the rest of medicine, TB didn\u2019t go away but covid made it so very much harder\u2014from diagnosis to the way people living with TB took treatment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The TB community is astounded. Tired but astounded. We watched the mobilisation of researchers looking for treatments and vaccines for covid-19, backed by resources we’ve only dreamed of. Adaptive trials like RECOVERY and REMAP-CAP reported results within the year\u2014steroids were able to save countless lives. We now have not just one, but multiple safe and effective vaccines for covid-19. The masks that we have long struggled to get people to wear became the norm and even the law in some places. The debate around infection control and protection of healthcare workers has been unprecedented. There is now more research into how the BCG vaccine might protect against covid-19 than into its effect on TB.<\/span><\/p>\n

The TB community is frustrated. Tired, astounded, but frustrated. Because a stark reality is now before us:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n