TITLE:
HIV Infection among Newly Diagnosed TB Patients in Southwestern Nigeria: A Multi-DOTS Center Study
AUTHORS:
Georgina N. Odaibo, Prosper Okonkwo, Oluwole M. Lawal, David O. Olaleye
KEYWORDS:
HIV; TB; Co-Infection; DOTS Centre Attendees; Nigeria
JOURNAL NAME:
World Journal of AIDS,
Vol.3 No.2,
June
11,
2013
ABSTRACT: Backgroud: The
burden of TB and HIV infection is estimated to be about 512/100,000 and 3,000,000 people respectively. However, accurate data on
TB/HIV co-morbidity in different parts of Nigeria were not available due to limited access to HIV Counseling and Testing (HCT) by individuals with TB infection. This study was designed to determine the true rate of HIV infection among newly diagnosed TB patients by providing comprehensive HCT
services in 43 DOTS centers in Oyo State, Southwestern Nigeria. Methods: All patients meeting the
case definition for TB
suspects who presented at each of the 43 DOTS Centres were counselled and those who consented tested for presence of HIV antibodies using HIV 1/2 Determine, Unigold and Stat-Pak rapid test kits in a serial algorithm. Results: A
total of 13,109 TB positive patients were enrolled for the study, out of which
1605 (12.3%) tested positive
for HIV antibodies. HIV infection was higher among female (15.5%) than male
(9.5%) TB patients (p 0.05). The rates also varied among the
age groups, ranging from 4.3% in the 10 - 19 years to 18.0% in the 40 - 49 years age group. A relatively high
rate (10.5%) of HIV infection was found among children less than ten years of
age. Conclusion: The results of this
work show the true burden of TB/HIV in any region in Nigeria for the first
time. Higher rate of TB/HIV co-infection among female patients and children are
significant and important factors that should be considered in the planning of intervention measures in Nigeria and other TB
and HIV endemic countries in Africa.