Kathmandu, June 14 -- Detection of new tuberculosis cases has declined by 50 percent ever since the government enforced a nationwide lockdown on March 24, according to an assessment carried out in all seven provinces and Kathmandu Valley.

The drop in the number of TB cases has been attributed to the closure of transportation service which restricted patients' access to health facilities.

Due to the closure of transportation service and fear of transmission of Covid-19, patients have been unable to reach health facilities for examination and treatment, according to the assessment of the National Tuberculosis Center.

"The ongoing lockdown and Covid-19 epidemic have hamstrung our fight against tuberculosis,"Dr Anuj Bhattachan, director at...