Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV/AIDS are intricately linked. There are currently 11 million people ‘co-infected’ with both diseases and half of all deaths of HIV- positive people are due to TB. Although there is growing international recognition of the nature of the relationship between the two diseases, there is a massive failure to respond to the dual epidemic in an integrated way. Despite clear statements from the World Health Organisation and others on the importance of implementing a joined-up approach, TB and HIV programmes continue to work in isolation from each other. This must change. For people infected with both HIV and TB, to treat one disease is not enough. Patients receiving HIV treatment can still die of TB, and patients being treated for TB often still die from AIDS. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) currently runs TB projects in 44 countries and HIV/AIDS projects in 33 countries around the world. Based on our experience on the ground, MSF believes that the global response to these diseases remains shockingly inadequate. Urgent action is needed to combat TB and HIV and stop the rising tide of needless deaths.
The most important steps to be taken are:
Routine HIV testing and care must be made available for all TB patients;
All HIV/AIDS patients must have access to early diagnosis and treatment of TB;
Six month TB treatment regimens must be used and the ‘DOTS’ approach must be adapted on the ground to cope with the effects of the HIV epidemic;
Support for research and development is desperately needed to ensure that better tools for diagnosing and treating TB are found, and in the longer term that effective TB and HIV vaccines will be developed.
(Read More Tuberculosis and HIV AIDS Link on Free Ebook at PDF Format)
http://911medicalcare.com/virus-diseases/tuberculosis-and-hiv-aids-link/
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