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Working with national TB and AIDS programmes, The Union’s Integrated HIV Care for Tuberculosis Patients Living with HIV/AIDS (IHC) aims to strengthen collaboration and build capacity of the countries’ general health systems to deliver high-quality HIV and TB care.
The goals of the IHC are to:
- secure political commitment for collaborative TB-HIV activities
- offer routine HIV counselling and testing for TB patients
- increase TB screening among people living with HIV/AIDS
- provide standardised HIV treatment regimens and regular patient follow-up
- improve recording and reporting for TB-HIV indicators
- strengthen logistics for TB and HIV
- implement patient and health systems-oriented operational research
Individuals with tuberculosis who are registered for anti-tuberculosis treatment with the National Tuberculosis Programme (NTP) are offered HIV testing and counselling. This service is also offered to their relatives, including children, as appropriate. If they are found to be positive, TB patients and contacts are offered integrated HIV care, including antiretroviral therapy. The Union’s strategy in combating TB and HIV, with coordinated and integrated methods, includes measures and resources to scale up participating countries’ health-care systems, capacity building, and drug and equipment procurement. |
