AIDS, TB EXPERTS UNITE TO REDUCE DEATHS
Baku, July 23 (AZERTAC). More than a third of the planet`s population is infected with the bacteria that causes tuberculosis - the disease known as TB. In many of them, the bacteria will remain dormant. But people living with HIV are much more likely to develop active TB because of their weakened immune systems. Experts at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna say political will and proper funding are the only obstacles to reducing the number of these deaths.
Tuberculosis is an airborne disease that is most commonly transmitted in overcrowded areas. Each year, there are more than nine million new cases worldwide, the vast majority in densely populated, developing countries such as India, China, Nigeria and Bangladesh.
There is no vaccine for the most common strain of TB, but the disease is treatable and curable. However, in people with HIV, it has become the leading cause of death.
At the international AIDS conference, the Stop TB Partnership and UNAIDS have announced an agreement to work together to address the two diseases with a unified strategy. Dr. Marcos Espinal is the executive secretary of the Stop TB Partnership.
People with HIV are 20 to 30 times more likely to develop tuberculosis than those without HIV. Once they have it, it can kill them rapidly, within a few months. Experts say a quarter of all HIV-related deaths are from tuberculosis. The new initiative aims to cut that rate in half by 2015 to a quarter of a million deaths. About $5 billion a year is needed to reach that goal. UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Dr. Paul De Lay says the goal is achievable.
