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Higher HIV rates increase TB numbers in rural areas

    JOHANNESBURG

    The HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa's rural areas has increased
    hospital admissions and the demand for adult TB medical care, media reports said on Wednesday.

    Quoting a 'Journal of the American Medical Association' (JAMA) research study in the Hlabisa District, reports said that the number of patients being admitted with TB had more than doubled between 1991 and 1998. According to the JAMA article the HIV epidemic had brought with it a shift in the pattern of diseases saying that, "previously rare health problems have become more commonplace and there have been large increases in the caseload of existing major diseases such as tuberculosis." It added: "The increase in adult tuberculosis admissions can clearly be linked to the HIV/AIDS epidemic as there is a much higher risk of acquiring tuberculosis among those with HIV infection has been
    well documented."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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