Comparative Characterisation of Key Epidemiological Indicators of Tuberculosis in Poltava Region for 2018—2023

For many years, tuberculosis has remained one of the pressing issues in global healthcare systems. The COVID-19 pandemic and full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine have caused negative changes in all spheres of life, including tuberculosis morbidity. Objective — to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and full-scale war on key epidemiological indicators of tuberculosis in Poltava Region during the period of 2018—2023. Materials and methods. An analysis of the main epidemiological indicators of tuberculosis in Poltava Region was conducted using official statistical reports and analytical collections for the years 2018—2023. Three periods were distinguished for comparison: pre-COVID-19 pandemic (2018—2019), during the COVID-19 pandemic (2020—2021) and during the full-scale war (2022—2023). Results and discussion. During the pre-COVID-19 period in Poltava Region, as in Ukraine, there was a gradual decrease in tuberculosis morbidity (including the frequency of relapses). In 2019, this indicator in the region decreased by 14 % compared to 2018 (from 59.5 to 52.1 per 100,000 population). With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ukraine, as in Poltava Region, the frequency of detection of pulmonary and extrapulmonary forms of tuberculosis decreased by 1.5 times. After the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukrainian territory, tuberculosis morbidity in Ukraine began to increase, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels in the last 2 years. In Poltava Region during this period, morbidity increased by almost 28 % (from 34.9 per 100,000 population in 2021 to 48.4 per 100,000 population in 2023). Conclusions. Tuberculosis most commonly affects unemployed males of working age. Tuberculosis morbidity remains higher in rural areas. Over the analysed period, there was a gradual decrease in tuberculosis mortality in both Ukraine and Poltava Region. Since 2015, this indicator in Poltava Region has decreased almost threefold — from 11.5 to 3.9 per 100,000 population in 2023.