RESUMEN
Background: The routine vaccinations and acquired immunity by other viral infections were believed to be acting as a protective factor against severe COVID-19 outbreaks in some countries. Objective: This study is overviewing the relationship of routine BCG, MMR vaccinations and reported MMR disease outbreak with reported COVID-19 infection across the Indian states. Methods: The data on vaccination coverage and respiratory disease infection was obtained from Univer-sal immunization program and Integrated disease surveillance project reports. Spearman rank correla-tion has been used to assess the relationship of routine vaccination and COVID-19 infection. Results: The result did not find any relationship of routine vaccination with BCG and MMR or exposure to MMR infection on COVID-19 infections in India. Conclusion: The exposure to BCG or MMR vaccination did not have a non-specific protection against COVID-19 infection. The results imply that a larger proportion of the Indian population is still vulnerable to COVID-19 infection.
RESUMEN
A pilot study with a mixed-methods design was conducted to estimate the time for tuberculosis (TB) treatment initiation and associated factors among children with central nervous system-TB (CNS-TB). A total of 38 children were enrolled for the quantitative component, and 20 in-depth interviews were conducted. The median duration (interquartile range) from onset of symptoms to treatment initiation was 23 (11, 55) days. About 44% and 31% of the children presented with Stage II and Stage III of CNS-TB, respectively. The major reasons for delay were symptoms not taken seriously (50%) and too many referrals (21%). About 89% of the families went into catastrophic health expenditure due to the disease. The treatment delay may be due to both patient delay and health system delay. Tailoring approaches to target the pediatric population could further improve early detection and treatment initiation of CNS-TB.