Covid-19 lockdown risks 1.4 mn extra TB deaths: study

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The global lockdown caused by Covid-19 risks a "devastating" surge in tuberculosis cases, with nearly 1.4 million additional deaths from the world's biggest infectious killer by 2025, new research has showed.

Since effective medication exists, the world's TB response is centred on testing and treating as many patients as possible.

But as Covid-19 forces governments to place populations on lockdown, new disease models showed that social distancing could lead to a disastrous rebound in TB infections — the effects of which are set to persist for years.

Read full AFP story here

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