HIV prevalence in the Israeli tuberculosis cohort, 1999-2011

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV co-infection increases mortality risk.
• Effective national-scale collaboration between TB and HIV programs is essential but not universally achieved.
• This study focuses on HIV prevalence among TB patients in Israel and associated co-infection factors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of HIV among TB patients in Israel.
• To identify variables associated with TB/HIV co-infection.
• To analyze trends and outcomes of TB/HIV co-infection in Israel.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study design.
• Cross-matching of national HIV and TB registries.
• Analysis of TB/HIV epidemiology over a 13-year period (1999-2011).

Main Results:

• A total of 5,502 TB patients were reported; 4.6% were HIV-infected.
• TB/HIV co-infection was primarily observed in non-Israeli born individuals, particularly from Africa.
• Factors predicting TB/HIV co-infection included recent arrival in Israel, older age, positive sputum/culture, and multi-drug resistant TB.
• Co-infected patients experienced worse treatment outcomes and higher mortality rates.

Conclusions:

• The majority of TB/HIV co-infected patients in Israel are migrants from high-burden countries.
• Despite a 4.6% co-infection rate, these patients face significantly worse outcomes and mortality.
• Integrating TB and HIV surveillance and treatment is vital for disease control, a model applicable to other nations.