World TB Awareness Day 2016
WHAT ARE CO-INFECTIONS?
Tuberculosis (TB) and hepatitis are common in people who also have HIV. These are diseases that can have an effect on HIV and can also be affected by HIV. They are sometimes referred to as co-infections.
Hepatitis B and C are more infectious than HIV, but are transmitted in similar ways: by contact with infected body fluids like blood, semen and vaginal fluid, and from a mother to her baby during pregnancy or delivery.
Both these types of hepatitis can cause serious liver damage, and liver disease is a major cause of serious illness and death in people with hepatitis co-infection.
There is a vaccine against hepatitis B. It works well in people with HIV, and it is recommended that people who have HIV receive it.
There is a vaccine against hepatitis B. It works well in people with HIV, and it is recommended that people who have HIV receive it.
There is no vaccine against hepatitis C. Hepatitis C can be cured, with treatment which needs to be taken for up to a year, but treatment can be complex and deciding on the best time to start treatment is not straightforward.
Tuberculosis, or TB, is one of the most common AIDS-defining illnesses.
The bacteria that cause TB can pass from one person to another through the air. When someone who is ill with TB in the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes, TB bacteria are released into the air.
The bacteria that cause TB can pass from one person to another through the air. When someone who is ill with TB in the lungs or throat coughs or sneezes, TB bacteria are released into the air.
TB doesn’t always cause someone to be ill, but if the immune system is weakened it is more likely. The symptoms of active TB include a cough lasting more than three weeks, fever, loss of appetite, night sweats, tiredness and weight loss. It mostly affects the lungs but can affect other parts of the body.
TB is treated with a combination of antibiotics, normally taken for six months. In some cases, it may be necessary for treatment to last longer.
Many cases of TB go undiagnosed, untreated or are not cured. It is a chance to engage with National TB Programme Managers and other stakeholders to improve the quality of existing programmes and the access to care and services.
The Tobeka Madiba Zuma Foundation sees the importance of eliminating access barriers to all recommended TB diagnostics and drugs and addressing TB as national health security threats will also be highlighted, along with the fact that TB needs to be everyone’s business and the urgent need to therefore involve everyone in the fight against the disease.
When a person has been diagnosed as suffering from TB, all children under five years of age that have been in close contact with that person should be examined, so that if necessary they may also receive treatment.
TB can be cured with little or no complications, Medication must, however, be started as soon as possible and it must be taken regularly according to the instructions given at the clinic. It takes 6 months for TB to be cured completely, but within 2 weeks of starting treatment, the person will no longer spread the disease. Intensive phase medication is given for the first 2 months, 4 or 5 tablets (depending on body weight) are taken Monday to Friday. Continuation phase medication is given for the next 4 months, 2 or 3 tablets (depending on body weight) are taken Monday to Friday.
It is a mistake to stop taking medicines when a person feels better. All treatment / medicine must be taken for the full 6 months. If treatment / medicine is missed, the risk of a drug resistant strain of TB is possible. This TB is very difficult to treat and needs more than 18 months of treatment / medicine, with a long stay in hospital. It takes a long time for TB germs to be destroyed. If medicines are stopped too soon and without instructions of the nurse or doctor the disease may start all over again.
