On 25 November, the 11,111th TB patient was tested for HIV since the 2005 inception of the Integrated HIV Care programme in Mandalay. Celebrations at the Mandalay General Hospital’s TB Out-Patient Department (TB OPD) included a gift to the patient from the TB team and a certificate of appreciation from The Union Myanmar Office to the TB OPD team in recognition of their important contribution to TB/HIV collaborative activities.

Diagnosis of HIV co-infection among TB patients is one of the major components of TB/HIV collaborative activities. In Myanmar, this activity is successfully implemented by the National TB Programme in Mandalay. There TB nurses have been trained for counselling and testing by the National HIV/AIDS Programme, and they now offer “provider-initiated counselling and testing” for HIV among adult TB patients. In Mandalay, in 2009, 87% of registered adult TB cases were tested for HIV.

To further support HIV testing, a campaign T shirt has been created that says “By taking an HIV test, I can protect myself, my family, and my community”.