Quarter 3 2019 Fighting HIV and TB: CDC’s Successes in One Country Serve as a Catalyst for Others

Fighting HIV and TB: CDC’s Successes in One Country Serve as a Catalyst for Others
Tuberculosis (TB) is the leading cause of death for adults and children living with HIV. However, there is life-saving treatment that can prevent people living with HIV from dying of TB: TB Preventive Treatment ( or TPT). Building on the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) platforms around the world, CDC is aggressively scaling up TPT for the millions who need it. One country – Kenya – has made extraordinary progress in just two years, increasing by 60-fold the number of people living with HIV receiving TPT. They now work hand-in-hand with neighboring countries to share solutions to make TPT available immediately to those who need it most. Read the full story here >>

Video: Kenya’s Dr. Katana on Controlling HIV and TB

“HIV and Tuberculosis (TB) are the two most deadly infectious diseases worldwide. These two epidemics are interconnected as TB is the leading cause of death for people living with HIV, says Dr. Abraham Katana, HIV Care and Treatment Chief for CDC-Kenya.” In this episode of “Experts in Action”, Dr. Katana explains how CDC is addressing these syndemics in Kenya. In more than 45 countries and regions around the world, CDC experts, like Dr. Katana, are working on the frontlines to help accelerate countries’ efforts to control HIV and eliminate TB. With our partners, they are changing the trajectory of these global epidemics and keeping people safe at home and abroad.
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CDC Study on Reducing HIV Misdiagnoses

The World Health Organization urges immediate initiation of HIV treatment for all persons who receive a HIV-positive diagnosis. Globally, studies report that HIV misdiagnoses rates range from less than 1 percent to more than 10 percent, with significant social and financial costs for such misdiagnoses. A recent CDC studyexternal icon published in the PLOS One journal suggests that a second test to verify the initial diagnosis can eliminate or reduce HIV misdiagnoses and prevent unnecessary initiation of treatment. The modelling study estimates about 240,000 positive misdiagnoses may occur in Africa over 10 years, in the absence of retesting.
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New CDC Exhibit To Be Unveiled at Atlanta Airport

In September 2018, CDC and world-renowned photographer, Thom Pierce, traveled to the epicenter of the global HIV epidemic in South Africa to capture the faces and stories of those at the forefront of CDC’s global response against HIV and TB. From September 16 – October 16, an exhibit of these images, “Faces from the Frontlines” will be on display in Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport’s International Terminal, Concourse F. The exhibit highlights individuals whose innovations and efforts are helping to transform these epidemics – and offers a snapshot into the work CDC and PEPFAR are leading around the world. These are their voices.
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