All (100%) people living with HIV who have just started antiretroviral therapy should receive either immunosuppressive therapy (TB) (blue bar) or TB treatment (TB). orange bar) – overall, they represent “best TB care”. The green bar shows the percentage of people who have just started antiretroviral therapy who have not received the best TB care and are vulnerable to becoming ill or dying from TB.
Everyone living with HIV and newly registered for antiretroviral therapy should receive the “best TB care” – either TB prevention or TB treatment. Since 2012, the World Health Organization has recommended that everyone newly diagnosed with HIV should be screened for TB. If they have no symptoms of TB (cough, whooping cough, fever, night sweets, weight loss, chest pain, shortness of breath or fatigue) they should have TB protective treatment. If they have TB symptoms, they should be fully checked for TB infection. If they are diagnosed with TB, treatment for TB should be started immediately. If there is no evidence of TB infection, TB preventive treatment should be started.
TB is the most common cause of hospitalization and death among people living with HIV. In 2019, TB accounted for 208 000 (30%) AIDS-related deaths. However, it is possible to treat TB. TB immune treatment reduces the risk of developing TB infection and can reduce deaths among people living with HIV by nearly 40%. Without treatment, a person with HIV is likely to die from TB.