2008-02-18

Pilot Project on Management of Dual HIV and TB Infections Launches in Almaty, Kazakhstan

A pilot project was launched on 29 January 2008 by two USAID-funded projects, CAPACITY and the Central Asian TB Partnership, the Kazakhstan National TB Center, and the Republican AIDS Center, to improve the services for patients with dual TB and HIV infections. The pilot project will be implemented in Almaty fro January 2008 till May 2009 and seek to reduce the rate of mortality caused by TB in HIV.

TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV and AIDS. HIV-infected patients are at increased risk for developing and contracting TB infection. Moreover, TB is an important cause of illness in Kazakhstan among the general population. Annually, about 23 thousand cases of TB and more than 1,000 new cases of HIV are identified in Kazakhstan. Currently there are more than 5800 people living with HIV (PLHIV), out of which 500 have TB. Most of these people are between 15 and 29 years old.

HIV infection makes diagnosis of TB more difficult, it also may make it necessary to adjust TB treatment. A patient suffering from TB and/or HIV will first see a general doctor in a polyclinic. These doctors know about TB, they also know about HIV, but they do not know enough about the interaction between the two diseases. Each of these infections is treated by a different service: One service treats the patient for TB; the other — for HIV. Lack of coordination between the services may lead to inappropriate treatment. WHO has warned that unless the issue of TB-HIV co-infection is addressed, all progress made in combating the TB epidemic may be reversed.

In response to this situation, a pilot project will be implemented in Almaty with the technical and financial support of the USAID-funded projects CAPACITY (which focuses on HIV and AIDS) and Central Asian TB Partnership (which focuses on TB issues). The pilot project will design a system of optimal services for patients and cooperation between TB and HIV services and train TB and HIV-AIDS specialists on the management of patients with the dual infection. Throughout its implementation, the pilot will refer TB patients to HIV testing and if necessary, to AIDS services, while HIV patients will be referred to TB testing and if necessary, to TB services. The success of the pilot project will be measured by the increase in the number of dual-infected HIV and TB patients who receive appropriate diagnostic tests, referrals, and treatment.

At the completion of the pilot project, the achieved results will be analyzed and recommendations will be made to for the Kazakhstan Ministry of Health. These recommendations should facilitate the scale-up of the successful pilot on interaction of TB and AIDS services throughout Kazakhstan.

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USAID (the United States Agency for International Development) works on behalf of the American people to assist Kazakhstan and other countries in the areas of economic growth, health, education, and democratic institutions.

The USAID-funded CAPACITY assists Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in launching large-scale responses to HIV/AIDS epidemics among vulnerable populations. The project is managed by JSI Research and Training Institute, Inc. in partnership with Abt Associates Inc, Boston University, Howard University, the International HIV/AIDS Alliance, and Population Services International (PSI).

The USAID-funded Central Asian TB Partnership helps Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan to improve the effectiveness of TB control efforts. The project is managed by Project HOPE in partnership with John Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, JSI, Inc., and the New Jersey Global Tuberculosis Institute.

For additional information please contact Maya Kulsharova, the CAPACITY Project Regional Coordinator on AIDS Services: (727) 262 30–69 (79) or by e-mail: , www.capacityproject.info or Madina Aitukenova, BCC Coordinator, the Central Asian Partnership on TB: (727) 291 87–47 or by email:

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Pilot Project on Management of Dual HIV and TB Infections Launches in Almaty, Kazakhstan

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