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Background: Tuberculosis (TB) is a chronic condition, with overlapping symptoms to those of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). There has been inconsistent evidence on whether TB is a predisposing factor for developing severe COVID-19. The aim of this report is to explore whether TB influences the severity of COVID-19., Methods: COVID-19 cases at two TB sanatoria on the Thailand-Myanmar border were reviewed. Demographic, clinical and laboratory data including TB treatment and co-morbidities, were analyzed. Characteristics and COVID-19 clinical outcomes were compared between two groups of patients: TB and those without TB (the caretakers and the medical personnel). Multivariable ordered logistic regression was conducted to compare the risk of severe COVID-19 between the two groups., Results: Between September 2021 and March 2022, 161 COVID-19 cases were diagnosed. Over half of the COVID-19 patients were infected with TB (n= 104, 64.6%), and the rest were not (n=57, 35.4%). The median (interquartile range) age was 48 (33.5-57.0) and 27 (23-33) years in the TB and in the non-TB COVID-19 patients, respectively. Before COVID-19 infection, 67.1% (106/158) of patients had received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The median cycle threshold value at diagnosis was not different between TB (18.5, IQR 16.1-32.3) and non-TB patients (18.8, 15.1-30.0). Fever, gastrointestinal symptoms and ageusia were more common in non-TB patients. Six patients (3.8%, 6/156) all from the TB group became severe of which five (3.2%, 5/156) required oxygen therapy. One TB patient died (1/104, 0.96%) of lung cancer. After adjustment for potential confounders, the final clinical severity was not different between the two groups (adjusted odds ratio 1.40, 95% confidence interval 0.16-12.39)., Conclusions: TB was not associated with severe outcomes in the two TB sanatoria. The high uptake of COVID-19 vaccination and active screening could have impacted on disease progression and prevented unfavorable outcomes., Competing Interests: No competing interests were disclosed., (Copyright: © 2023 Aung HKK et al.)

Adolescence is a developmental phase where mental disorders typically manifest and where platforms for response (including schools and health services) change rapidly. However, data to inform public mental health responses are limited, including in countries like Myanmar which has a large adolescent population and where mental health has been identified as a priority of policy. In this paper we sought to systematically review the peer-reviewed and grey literature to determine (i) the prevalence of mental disorder among adolescents in Myanmar, (ii) determinants of mental disorder and (iii) interventions that have been implemented and evaluated. Nine publications met inclusion criteria (7 peer-reviewed and 2 grey literature) that included 7 publications reporting prevalence, 6 reporting correlates and one an intervention. The available data from the 2016 Global School-based Health Survey highlight that depression (27.2%) and suicidal ideation (9.4%) are prevalent in Myanmar, and these rates are substantially higher than regional averages. The limited available data on correlates identified violence and bullying, alcohol and substance use, and home, family and community security and cohesion as being closely related to mental health for adolescents. Only one study focussed on interventions and this found mindfulness meditation training to be an effective approach for young people whose parents were affected by HIV. These findings underscore the need to address adolescent mental health in Myanmar, but also to invest in better data collection efforts., (Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)