Rise in tuberculosis in Peru: A byproduct of the COVID-19 pandemic
In an article titled, “An Unexpected Pandemic Side Effect in Peru: A Comeback For TB,” NPR (National Public Radio) gives a sobering account of the rise of tuberculosis (TB) in Peru and much of the developing world because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Peru, in 2019, the nonprofit health care organization Partners in Health (PIH) began a screening program called TB Móvil, which brings TB testing to the community via two vans equipped with X-ray machines that use Artificial Intelligence (AI) software to diagnose TB quickly and accurately. The vans are operational in the three northernmost districts of Peru’s capital, Lima.