title: Provision of antiretroviral therapy for HIV-positive TB patients--19 countries, sub-Saharan Africa, 2009-2013.
abstract: Considerable progress has been made in the provision of life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection worldwide, resulting in an overall decrease in HIV incidence and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)-related mortality. In the strategic scale-up of HIV care and treatment programs, persons with HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are a priority population for receiving ART. TB is the leading cause of death among persons living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa and remains a potential risk to the estimated 35 million persons living with HIV globally. Of the 9 million new cases of TB disease globally in 2013, an estimated 1.1 million (13%) were among persons living with HIV; of the 1.5 million deaths attributed to TB in 2013, a total of 360,000 (24%) were among persons living with HIV. ART reduces the incidence of HIV-associated TB disease, and early initiation of ART after the start of TB treatment reduces progression of HIV infection and death among HIV-positive TB patients. To assess the progress in scaling up ART provision among HIV-positive TB patients in 19 countries in sub-Saharan Africa with high TB and HIV burdens, TB and HIV data collected by the World Health Organization (WHO) were reviewed. The results found that the percentage of HIV-positive TB patients receiving ART increased from 37% in 2010 to 69% in 2013. However, many TB cases among persons who are HIV-positive go unreported, and only 38% of the estimated number of HIV-positive new TB patients received ART in 2013. Although progress has been made, the combination of TB and HIV continues to pose a threat to global health, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
authors.forename: E Kainne
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Dokubo
authors.forename: Annabel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baddeley
authors.forename: Ishani
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pathmanathan
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Coggin
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Firth
authors.forename: Haileyesus
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Getahun
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaplan
authors.forename: Anand
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Date
mesh_terms: D017954:Africa South of the Sahara; D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D023241:Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D014376:Tuberculosis / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents