Cape Town - A number of patients including those with HIV and/or TB have experienced difficulties attending their clinic appointments and collecting their medication due to fear of contracting Covid-19 at health-care facilities.
This was according to the provincial health department which said on Tuesday that fewer patients visited clinics for other important services such as HIV testing and TB screening.
The department said it has not scaled down its HIV and TB services during the adjusted alert regulations and clients can still make appointments, collect their medication, or visit their healthcare facilities during this period.
Patients with HIV and/ or TB are encouraged to return to their clinic if they run out of medication, don’t know how to take their medication, develop a side effect of medication or have an appointment for a follow-up visit.
All health-care facilities are taking adequate precautions to prevent the spread of Covid-19 at their facilities, the department said.
“To maintain control of your condition, attend your follow-ups at the clinic regularly. Know the status of your viral load result and aim to keep it ‘undetectable’.
“Look out for symptoms that may indicate that you might be becoming sick with especially TB related symptoms (cough, weight loss, drenching night sweats) or Covid-19 related symptoms (cough, shortness of breath, sore throat, muscle aches, loss of smell or taste),” recommended Infectious Diseases Specialist at Tygerberg Hospital, Dr Hans Prozesky.
Prozesky said TB will get worse and may become drug resistant if one forgets or stops medication.
"To maintain control of your condition, attend your follow-ups regularly at the clinic and provide the required sputum samples to confirm that your TB is responding to treatment.
“Expect your symptoms to improve on treatment, but if you develop any new symptoms or your symptoms get worse, report this to your healthcare worker,” Prozesky said.
Cape Times