Zimbabwe : TB leading cause of death among Aids patients
AFRICA NEWS NETWORK, MAY 21, 2006
ZIMBABWE--THE Aids epidemic has seen the re-emergence of tuberculosis (TB) in many parts of the world and now infects about one third of the world’s population.
Some countries currently face HIV and TB epidemics simultaneously. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 70 percent of TB patients are infected with HIV.
Aids and TB interact destructively, each hastening the progression of the other.
TB is a leading cause of death among people with HIV and is responsible for an estimated 13 percent of Aids deaths. Most people infected with TB, but not HIV, remain healthy; only five percent to 10 percent will develop active case of TB.
HIV, however, triggers the active and infectious form of TB.
A person with an active case of pulmonary can infect an average of 10 to 15 people every year with TB if he or she does not receive treatment.
HIV infection also makes TB more difficult to diagnose. People with HIV or Aids often develop multi-drug resistant TB, detectable only through special laboratory tests often not available in low-income countries.
Tuberculosis is curable in HIV infected individuals, but treatment is much more expensive and typically requires a strict regimen of drugs for about six months.
Strict adherence to treatment often is difficult for residents in developing countries, where access to health care is limited.
ZIMBABWE--THE Aids epidemic has seen the re-emergence of tuberculosis (TB) in many parts of the world and now infects about one third of the world’s population.
Some countries currently face HIV and TB epidemics simultaneously. In sub-Saharan Africa, up to 70 percent of TB patients are infected with HIV.
Aids and TB interact destructively, each hastening the progression of the other.
TB is a leading cause of death among people with HIV and is responsible for an estimated 13 percent of Aids deaths. Most people infected with TB, but not HIV, remain healthy; only five percent to 10 percent will develop active case of TB.
HIV, however, triggers the active and infectious form of TB.
A person with an active case of pulmonary can infect an average of 10 to 15 people every year with TB if he or she does not receive treatment.
HIV infection also makes TB more difficult to diagnose. People with HIV or Aids often develop multi-drug resistant TB, detectable only through special laboratory tests often not available in low-income countries.
Tuberculosis is curable in HIV infected individuals, but treatment is much more expensive and typically requires a strict regimen of drugs for about six months.
Strict adherence to treatment often is difficult for residents in developing countries, where access to health care is limited.
posted by AIDS-Care-Watch at 11:10 am
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