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* * * Home: What MSH Does: TB: Promoting Collaboration between TB and HIV/AIDS Programs

Promoting Collaboration between TB and HIV/AIDS Programs
HIV-infected individuals have a significantly increased risk of developing active TB. In some countries, 70% of TB patients are co-infected with HIV.MSH is working with national TB and HIV programs to promote collaboration at all levels of the health system. This theatre group in Uganda is spreading the word about TB and HIV/AIDS to communities. Photo: WHO/TBP/Gary Hampton
Countries in sub-Saharan Africa are experiencing a marked increase in co-infection of TB and HIV/AIDS: in some countries up to 70 percent of TB patients are co-infected with HIV. In support of collaborative efforts to confront this dual epidemic, MSH is working with national TB and HIV programs to develop common policies and practices. To improve patient diagnosis, care, and treatment, as well as to prevent the spread of both diseases, MSH is facilitating joint national program assessments, strengthening laboratory systems to support diagnosis and patient monitoring for TB and HIV, and fostering coordination between the public and private sectors.

It is urgent that countries with high burden of HIV define policies and mechanisms, and secure funding to promote collaborative efforts between TB and HIV programs. This collaborative approach is the key to dramatically improving patient care, controlling these diseases, and minimizing the impact of this dual epidemic on patients, families, and communities. MSH works with both the national TB and national HIV programs to support the following activities:

  • Coordinating TB and HIV strategic and operational planning
  • Integrating TB and HIV services into primary health care
  • Strengthening laboratory services to support comprehensive TB and HIV diagnosis and care
  • Adapting MSH tools and approaches to improve collaboration between TB and HIV programs
  • Improving coordination between the public and private sectors to respond to the dual epidemic
  • Conducting joint TB and HIV commodity assessments

Related Country Work:

MSH carries out these activities in the following countries: Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
 

MSH Resources Related to Promoting Collaboration between TB and HIV/AIDS Programs:

Resources are in PDF format. Click here for information about installing Acrobat Reader.

Periodicals
Issues of The Manager Tools
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Highlights
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Scaling Up HIV/AIDS Programs: A Manual for Multisectoral Planning guides HIV/AIDS programs as they create partnerships, design activities, and allocate resources.
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Malawi

MSH has been assisting the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Malawi to expand efforts that promote collaboration between TB and HIV/AIDS programs. One example includes training of health providers, to implement a cross-referral system for TB and HIV patients. This way MSH and the MOH are aiming to increase the rate of HIV testing for TB patients, and through operations research are seeking to better understand how to incorporate TB case-finding activities at voluntary counseling and testing sites.

In addition, MSH is assisting the MOH to expand services to offer HIV-positive TB patients the sulfa drug cotrimoxazole, which helps to prevent or delay the progression of HIV-related opportunistic infections.

Malawi’s new sector-wide approach has eliminated direct funding for the TB program and has given NTP a broader stewardship role instead of making the NTP directly responsible for activity implementation. In response to these health sector reforms MSH has been working with the NTP to integrate funding and activity-planning mechanisms for TB into district implementation plans.
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