| TB | HIV | TB | HIV | TB | HIV | TB | HIV |
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| An electronic update for the TB/HIV Working Group and for WHO technical TB and HIV staff |  |
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| contact: httf@who.int | November 2005 |
| World AIDS Day, 1 December | ||
| Background information | ||
| TB Policy and Advocacy | ||
| Country status | ||
| WHO Programme Updates | ||
| Technical Updates | ||
| Related TB HIV links | ||
| WORLD AIDS DAY, 1 DECEMBER | ||
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The launch of the WHO/UNAIDS Epidemic Update took place on 21 November and precedes this year's World AIDS Day (WAD) whose theme this year is "Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise". The Director-General of WHO will make a statement in Geneva on 1 December and Director, HIV/AIDS will participate from Lesotho, in the Announcement of Lesotho's plan for Universal Access to testing for HIV/AIDS for the whole population. The TB community is committed to the theme of this World AIDS Day by collaborating with the HIV community to provide universal access to comprehensive TB and HIV prevention, treatment and care services. In highly HIV endemic countries TB programmes can raise awareness about TB/HIV co-infection, provide HIV counselling and testing and provide HIV prevention methods as well as antiretroviral therapy for TB patients who are also HIV positive. TB programmes can help keep the promise and Stop AIDS! Have a good WAD. |
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| BACKGROUND INFORMATION | ||
Two diseases, one patient: TB and HIV programmes collaborate to save lives Read more about the background to collaboration including some key facts For related TB HIV related web sites, see end of newsletter |
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| TB POLICY AND ADVOCACY | ||
| DOTS Expansion, TB/HIV and DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB hold first joint meeting The first joint meeting of working groups from Stop TB DOTS Expansion, TB/HIV and DOTS-Plus for MDR-TB (multi-drug resistant TB) was held in Versailles and Paris from 15-18 October. More than 400 people attended the meeting, including country TB and HIV programme managers, technical and donor agencies; representatives of affected communities and academic institutions. The meeting called for countries to use regional and national plans to drive forward the Stop TB Strategy and International Standards for TB Care. Participants endorsed the draft Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015, seen as a critical document in this process, with a call for universal access to care by 2010. Read more |
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| 36th World Conference on Lung Health The 36th Annual World Conference on Lung Health took place in Paris, France from 18-22 October 2005 with the theme of scaling up and sustaining effective tuberculosis, HIV and asthma prevention and control. Staff from the TB, HIV and Drug Resistant TB department had four posters accepted and presented during the conference. Read more |
Stop TB Coordinating Board meets in Assisi The Stop TB Coordinating Board met in Assisi, Italy on 10-11 November 2005. The Board conducted a high-level mission to the Government of Italy, discussed a Global Drug Facility Strategic Plan and progress on the Blueprint for Africa. Read more |
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| G8 informal consultation follows up on TB commitments An informal consultation was held in Versailles on 14 October entitled "Action on TB control: Coordination in follow-up to the G8 summit" to follow up on the Gleneagles Communiqué issued by the G8 in July 2005. The meeting was co-hosted by the WHO, the Stop TB Partnership and the UK's Department for International Development and included technical representatives working in health, foreign affairs or development cooperation from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the United States, as well as the World Bank, the KNCV TB Foundation, and the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics. The objective was to review the commitments made on TB control at Gleneagles, the African Health Ministers Declaration of TB Emergency at the WHO Regional Committee meeting in August 2005, and the UN World Summit 2005. The meeting reviewed the steps taken in planning an urgent response, including: current implementation of the Stop TB Partnership Blueprint for Africa; WHO/AFRO planning and coordination with countries as well as a framework for response to the TB emergency in Europe; technical assistance coordination, bilateral and multilateral financing priority setting; the Stop TB Strategy, the new Global Plan to Stop TB 2006-2015 and platforms for collaboration in testing and preparing new tools. Partners planned coordination on next steps to support national responses in Africa as detailed plans and funding gaps are made clearer in early 2006. Participants noted that some of the discussions underway on the TB pandemic may be addressed in the G8 summit planned for St. Petersburg in mid-2006. |
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| COUNTRY STATUS | ||
| Best Practice HIV-TB services in Malawi Malawi has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, which explains why there has been an upsurge in tuberculosis in the country, despite a good TB programme. This document describes the process and shares the tools used for TB/HIV planning, HIV counselling and testing (CT), cotrimoxazole (CTX) and ART introduction as well as standardized registration, recording and reporting. Read the report |
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| WHO PROGRAMME UPDATES | ||
| Consultation on the diagnosis of smear-negative TB - Call for comments and views The incidence of Acid-fast bacillus (AFB) smear-negative pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB has increased substantially in countries where both TB and HIV are prevalent. An urgent need exists to develop more rapid and accurate TB diagnostic tests, but while such tests are being developed and validated, clinical practice and policy should be modified to improve the diagnosis and management of smear-negative pulmonary and extrapulmonary TB. Speedy diagnosis and treatment is needed, particularly in resource-constrained settings where HIV is prevalent. WHO’s Stop TB and Tropical Disease Research departments collaborated with the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to convene an informal expert consultation in Geneva, Switzerland on 1-2 September 2005. The expert group has issued recommendations and developed new diagnostic algorithms to assist the diagnosis of TB particularly in HIV prevalent and resource constrained settings. The Stop TB Department of WHO is keen to hear comments and views on the recommendations of the Expert Group and the newly-developed diagnostic algorithms from all TB and HIV/AIDS partners and stakeholders, including academia, in order to assist and contribute towards the formulation of sound and responsive public health policy for use by Member States. The documents can be consulted on the Stop TB website and comments and views can be emailed to smearnegativetb@who.int before 9 January 2006. |
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| 32 attend first TB/HIV course for programme managers in French The first TB/HIV course for programme managers in French was organized by WHO/STB in association with France’s Institut de Médecine et d'Epidémiologie Appliquée (IMEA) and the WHO TB collaboration centre of Tradate, Italy with support from the Union. It was a translated version of an existing course in English and was adapted into the traditional IMEA course on Sexually Transmitted Diseases and HIV/AIDS. The two-week course was attended by 32 participants from 18 Francophone countries (90% African from both AFR and EMR). The first six days of the course were joined by 30 participants of the standard five-week IMEA course and focused on HIV/AIDS topics while the last four days were TB/HIV specific. The course evaluation was positive with participants saying they felt motivated by the course and had gained knowledge and skills to initiate or continue the implementation of TB/HIV collaborative activities in their countries. |
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| TECHNICAL UPDATES | ||
| Highly
active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in adults with tuberculosis:
Current status This article reviews the rationale for concurrent antiretroviral therapy in TB patients, when to start HAART, drug interactions between antiretroviral and anti-tuberculosis agents, paradoxical reactions and immune restoration disease and the role of directly observed therapy. Read article |
Why
don't people seek treatment? This posting on the Stop TB e-Forum 2005 discusses the results of a cross-sectional study conducted in National Tuberculosis Control Programme (NTCP) health facilities in Karachi, Pakistan. The survey of 844 patients asks what factors influence people's decision not to seek treatment when they have TB symptoms. Read more |
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| Management
of tuberculosis training for District TB Coordinators How to organize training for District TB Coordinators This guide accompanies training modules published by the World Health Organization. It is designed teach to District TB Coordinators the skills and knowledge needed to plan, supervise, implement, monitor and evaluate activities of a district TB control program. Read training guide |
Tuberculosis
control in the era of HIV Programmes designed for the diagnosis and treatment of TB are significantly challenged by the impact of HIV on TB. Approximately 10% of all global TB cases are now attributable to HIV. In parts of Africa, the prevalence of HIV in new TB cases is more than 50%. This paper reviews the resources and collaborations that are essential for treating patients with both HIV and TB. Read paper |
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| PUBMED
abstract review (note that a Journal subscription is required
to view full article) Performance of a T-cell-based diagnostic test for tuberculosis infection in HIV-infected individuals is independent of CD4 cell count. AIDS. Nov 2005. Read abstract Cost and Enrollment Implications of Targeting Different Source Population for an HIV Treatment Program. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr. Nov 2005. Read abstract Evaluation of the drug interaction between rifabutin and efavirenz in patients with HIV infection and tuberculosis. Clin Infect Dis. Nov 2005. Read abstract Once-Daily Regimen of Saquinavir, Ritonavir, Didanosine, and Lamivudine in HIV-Infected Patients with Standard Tuberculosis Therapy. AIDS. Nov 2005. Read abstract |
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| RELATED LINKS ON WHO, TB AND HIV | ||
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All
WHO TB/HIV publications are available on the WHO's
TB/HIV web site |
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| This update is published by the HIV/TB taskforce (HTTF) at the World Health Organization. Email:httf@who.int
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