Tuberculosis Preventive Treatment (TPT) is a powerful tool for preventing the TB infection from developing into active TB disease, and has recently been expanded to all household contacts of TB cases in India. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to conduct a situational analysis of the initial phase of TPT implementation among household contacts of pulmonary TB patients in three districts of Delhi, India. It was completed using a checklist based assessments, care cascade data, and qualitative analysis. Our observations indicated that organizational structure and planning were established, but implementation of TPT was suboptimal with issues in drug availability and procurement, budget, human resources, and training. Awareness and motivation, and shorter regimen, telephonic assessment, and collaboration with NGOs emerged as enablers. Apprehension about taking TPT, erratic drug supply, long duration of treatment, side effects, overburden, large population, INH resistance, data entry issues, and private provider reluctance emerged as barriers. The study revealed potential solutions for optimizing TPT implementation. It is evident that, while progress has been made in TPT implementation, there is room for improvement and refinement across various domains.
19 September 2024 in Clinical Epidemiology and Global Health
Introduction: Occupational health and safety (OHS) practices witnessed profound changes worldwide during the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic exposed critical vulnerabilities in workplace preparedness, particularly among workers in high-exposure and essential service sectors. Methods: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines using PubMed, Google Scholar, DOAJ, ResearchGate, and gray literature sources. Studies published between January 2020 and December 2024 focusing on occupational exposure, workplace transmission, OHS guidelines, and workforce health during COVID-19 were included. Results: Healthcare workers experienced the highest occupational risk due to sustained patient contact and aerosol-generating procedures, accompanied by significant psychological distress and burnout. Essential workers, manufacturing sectors, retail workers, educators, and informal sector workers also faced substantial occupational and socioeconomic challenges. Workplace interventions including engineering controls, administrative controls, PPE use, vaccination strategies, and digital surveillance tools reduced workplace transmission. Remote-enabled sectors demonstrated lower infection risk but increased mental health concerns. Discussion: The COVID-19 pandemic transformed traditional OHS frameworks by integrating infectious disease preparedness, vaccination strategies, mental health support, and workplace surveillance into occupational safety systems. The findings emphasize the need for integrated, adaptive, and equitable OHS frameworks aligned with public health preparedness to strengthen workforce resilience against future pandemics.