More than 900 000 Lives Saved by Protecting People Living With HIV From TB
2 MARCH 2012 | GENEVA
Updated WHO guidance launched today scales up effective public health interventions to reduce TB deaths for people living with HIV
Note for the media
An estimated 910 000 lives were saved globally over six years by improving collaboration between TB and HIV services that protect people living with HIV from TB, according to global health impact figures released today. To follow up on the success of the 2004 initial guidance on TB and HIV, WHO is releasing today an updated global policy for joint prevention, diagnosis and treatment of TB and HIV. TB is a leading killer of people living with HIV.
TB screening increased dramatically for people living with HIV
Since WHO proposed the initial guidance on collaboration between TB and HIV activities in 2004, the number of people living with HIV screened for TB increased almost 12-fold, from nearly 200 000 in 2005 to over 2.3 million people in 2010. Testing for HIV among TB patients surged from 470 000 to over 2.2 million, an increase of five-fold, between 2005 and 2010.
In light of the experiences gained over the last six years, WHO is today launching an updated global policy to accelerate coordinated public health interventions to further reduce deaths from this dangerous combination of diseases.
“This framework is the international standard for the prevention, care and treatment of TB and HIV patients to reduce deaths; and we have strong evidence that it works,” said Dr Mario Raviglione, WHO Director of the Stop TB Department. “Now is the time to build on these actions and break the chain that links TB and HIV with death for so many people.”
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More than 900 000 Lives Saved by Protecting People Living With HIV From TB