COVID-19 and TB respiratory illnesses share both significant similarities and differences. At first glance, the viruses appear to be very different infections. However, perhaps one of the most important similarities is how the infections affect communities epidemiologically. Dr James Trauer and Dr Anna Coussens discuss the similarities and differences between the two infections.

Dr Anna Coussens is an infectious disease immunologist with a keen interest in host-pathogen interaction in tuberculosis (TB), the interaction with HIV-1, and other non-communicable diseases, including vitamin D deficiency and diabetes. Anna was the 2014-2015 Sydney Brenner Fellow, awarded by the Academy of Science of South Africa. In 2014 she was elected to the Global Young Academy, where she now sits on the Executive Board and is the southern Africa lead on a project to investigate the Global State of Young Scientists.