The Gauteng health department is trying to trace thousands of TB and HIV-positive patients who have failed to collect their medication since the start of the lockdown on 27 March.
The approximate number of people who have not collected their TB medicines is 1 090, while the number of patients who have failed to collect their antiretroviral medicines is about 10 950.
‘Since the lockdown the average percentage reduction in medicine collections for TB is 1.4% and 19.6% for HIV, the Gauteng health department said in a statement.
‘The department has developed and is implementing a track-and-trace plan to locate patients who have not come to collect their treatment and manage them accordingly.’
Covid-19 fears have stopped HIV/Aids and TB patients from collecting their medication. Transport restrictions and a fear of the virus infecting them are among the reasons for the big drop in medication collection.
‘Supply and transportation of medicines may be disrupted by flight cancellations and travel restrictions. The unavailability of medicines may lead to treatment interruption, which subsequently causes drug resistance and deterioration of patients’ health.
‘Patients who do not comply with treatment remain vulnerable and may be susceptible to other opportunistic infections, the coronavirus being one of them,’ the department said.
‘Clinicians may have difficulty managing patients with unsuppressed viral loads caused by treatment interruption. Such patients may end up developing complications such as immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome and many other illnesses.’