Vol. 8, Issue 3, Part B (2025)

Background: Tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 are major public health concerns, both impacting respiratory health. Pregnant women are particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes of both diseases. Limited evidence exists on whether COVID-19 history influences TB symptom screening outcomes in pregnant women ^{[1, 2]}.

Objectives: To assess the association between history of COVID-19 and presumptive TB screening positivity among antenatal women in Ambala, Haryana.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 1,000 antenatal women attending rural ANC clinics. Women were screened for TB using WHO’s 4-symptom checklist ^[3]. History of COVID-19 was self-reported. Chi-square test was applied to assess association between COVID-19 history and TB screening positivity. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant.

Results: Of 1,000 pregnant women, 53 (5.3%) reported previous history of COVID-19. Among them, 12 (22.6%) screened positive for presumptive TB, compared to 80 (8.4%) among non-COVID cases. The association was statistically significant (Chi-square = 10.47, df=1, p=0.001).

Conclusion: Previous COVID-19 infection was significantly associated with higher presumptive TB symptom positivity in pregnancy. This highlights the need for careful differential diagnosis during antenatal care, particularly in post-COVID patients.