Controlling Tuberculosis as Regards the HIV/AIDS Infection Epidemic

Abstract

This meeting was organized into a number of presentations of papers (Appendix I) grouped into four subject areas, which were followed by the pertinent debates. These four areas were as follows: 1. Epidemiology of the Dual HIV-TB Infection. 2. Treatments to Combat TB. 3. TB Prevention. 4. Health Care/TB Control Programs. The papers presented regarding a review of current literature focused on the search for scientific evidence with regard to treating and preventing TB among HIV-positive patients. The rest of the papers presented were: 1) regarding epidemiological topics 2) regarding results of different TB control programs and 3) regarding the analysis of the international and national recommendations concerning TB treatments and prevent among HIV-positive patients. Following the meeting, this report has been prepared as a summary thereof and was revised by all those who were in attendance at the meeting, the goal of which is that of setting out some recommendations for health care control and clinical handling of the dual Mycobacterium tuberculosis and HIV infection. This report provides no systematic or sufficiently detailed review of the different topics analyzed, therefore opting with regard to the bibliography to recommend a number of brief articles and reference books as a general source for further consultation 1-20. In this report, the term of "dual" TB-HIV infection is used generally and, in others the more specific "dual TB-AIDS disease", depending upon the presence of infection or disease caused by M. Tuberculosis and also AIDS, therefore, in the latter case.