Tb and HIV

[Guest guest]

Dear forum,

The world pays attention to TB today (24th March) as it marks world

TB day. For a forgotten disease, with its last new drug discovered in 1963, TB

has made remarkable progress in setting standards for design and delivery of

public health services, something that the HIV AIDS community could take a

lesson or two from.

But that is not all the reason why the HIV world needs to pay attention to TB

for: TB also is the biggest killer of people living with HIV.

Co infection with TB and HIV is as high as 60% in people living with

HIV in India, and deterioration of health status is rapid.

With anti retrovirals still far away for most people living with

HIV, good diagnosis and treatment of TB is essential to keeping people alive.

Another key intervention that needs attention is the provision of

INH prophylaxis for PLWHA for latent TB infections.

TB treatment needs to become an essential part of the basket of

services of national AIDS control programs, and needs to be

operationalized within its service delivery. National TB control programs can

provide the diagnostic and information management services to this effort, but

PLWHA need to obtain their directly observed treatment from the care and support

centers set up under the national AIDS control program.

This will enable support for treatment adherance and completion.

If we are to keep people alive, we need to see a much more proactive

adoption of DOTS based TB treatment by national AIDS control

programs, and active demand by PLWHA for these services to be delivered.

Regards,

Dr Bobby

E-mail: <bj@...>