HIV/TB Control Efforts in Uganda Lacking, Research Indicates

Efforts to control the spread of HIV/TB coninfections in Uganda are lacking, according to joint research conducted by the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease and the country's Ministry of Health, the New Vision/AllAfrica.com reports. The research was conducted to determine the services available for HIV/TB services and care, how collaborative services have been implemented and human resource capacity. It was carried out in 26 districts and showed that 40% of lower-level health care facilities do not have a worker trained to address HIV/TB cases. According to IUATLD delegate Anna Nakanwagi, a large number of health care facilities do not have HIV/TB diagnostic services, and most centers that provide treatment are run primarily by nongovernmental organizations or faith-based groups. She added that TB screenings among HIV-positive people are low and that 27% to 37% of lower-level centers conduct such tests. "Training in TB/HIV activities was generally poor, with only 20% medical officers, 42% clinical officers and 47% of the nurses trained," Nakanwagi said at the recent 2008 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting in Kampala, Uganda (Among, New Vision/AllAfrica.com, 6/10).

Archived webcasts from the meeting will be available online at kaisernetwork.org.

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