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HIV-related tuberculosis: how well are we doing with current control efforts?
D Maher1, M Borgdorff, T Boerma
1Stop TB Department, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland. maherd@who.ch
Summary
National HIV and tuberculosis (TB) programs in high-prevalence countries show low performance. Increased investment in TB control strategies and HIV prevention is crucial for managing HIV-related TB effectively.
Area of Science:
- Global health
- Infectious disease epidemiology
- Public health program evaluation
Background:
- Tuberculosis (TB) remains a significant opportunistic infection in individuals with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).
- Effective control of HIV-related TB necessitates robust national programs and targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the implementation status of key interventions for controlling HIV-related TB.
- To evaluate the performance of national TB and HIV programs in high HIV prevalence countries.
Main Methods:
- Review of national TB and HIV program activities using data from recent national survey results.
- Focus on the top 25 countries with the highest HIV prevalence.
Main Results:
- Only four of the top 25 HIV prevalence countries met treatment outcome targets for TB control using the DOTS strategy.
- Most countries demonstrated low performance in implementing essential HIV prevention and care measures.
Conclusions:
- Low program performance in top HIV prevalence countries hinders effective control of HIV-related TB.
- Enhanced investment in the DOTS strategy and HIV prevention is essential.
- Collaboration between TB and HIV programs is vital for scaling up interventions like antiretroviral therapy and preventive therapies.