Twice as many people are dying of HIV related tuberculosis (TB) than previously thought. While the n...
Twice as many people are dying of HIV related tuberculosis (TB) than previously thought. While the number of TB cases is in decline since 2004, in 2007, there were an estimated 1.37 million new cases of tuberculosis among HIV-infected people and 456,000 deaths worldwide.
The figures, released in a World Health Organisation report; "2009 Global TB Control Report", reveals a sharp increase in HIV testing among people being treated for TB, especially in Africa. In 2004, 4% of TB patients in the region were tested for HIV; in 2007 that rose to 37% with several countries testing more than 75% of TB patients for their HIV status.
In the UK, cases of TB have increased by 2% from 8,496 cases reported in 2007 to 8,679 in 2008 according to the Health Protection Agency. London continues to have the most cases with 39% of the total.
