CDC - TB & HIV: A Deadly Duo, Part 3

Host: Matt Birnholz, MD

The CDC commemorates Dr. Robert Koch's 1882 discovery of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacteria that causes TB. Over the past 129 years, history has witnessed many advances over in TB control. Through the intervention efforts of CDC, USAID, WHO's Stop TB Partnership, and many others, TB death rates have fallen by 35% since 1990, and as many as 6 million lives have been saved since 1995. In spite of these successes, TB still remains a serious threat, especially for those infected with HIV. HIV is the single most powerful risk factor for TB disease and one of the leading causes of death among people infected with HIV. Among the 1.7 million lives that TB claimed in 2009, 380,000 were among people with HIV infection. While people with HIV who have TB can be effectively diagnosed and treated, more effort is needed to diagnose and treat TB promptly and effectively, and to scale-up preventive treatment for TB. This special session of Public Health Grand Rounds shed light on myths and misconceptions about TB and HIV, and discussed actions needed in preventing deaths from this lethal combination. This is Part 3 of a lecture in three parts. Part 1 >> Part …