Africa: Toolkit Set to Help Firms Fight Lethal Combination of HIV and Tuberculosis

A new toolkit has been released to help companies deal with the growing number of employees co-infected with HIV and TB. Announced at the recent World Economic Forum on Africa in Cape Town, the toolkit was developed by WEF's Global Health Initiative (GHI) and the Eli Lilly MDR-TB Partnership.

It is in the interest of business for companies to ensure the development of the human capital needed to drive economic growth, according to Lilly's Alex Azar, but "TB has the capacity to undermine all of this."

By blocking the progress of TB transmission and its often lethal intersection with HIV/AIDS, businesses can better use their own existing health infrastructures and resources, Azar said.

In South Africa, about 70 percent of TB patients are co-infected with HIV. Acknowledging the extent of the problem is critical for understanding its potential impact on business, said Dr. Shaloo Puri of GHI.

Those promoting the toolkit say that by engaging proactively with the community, businesses can create greater efficiency in the workplace and thereby offset the modest costs of partnering with local stakeholders.

For more information, visit www.weforum.org/pdf/Initiatives/GHI_TB_HIV.pdf

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