Estimated worldwide HIV infections: 56 373 952 at 11.40am on Thursday March 11
Rising infections: HIV has led to an increase in new tuberculosis (TB) infections not only in individuals with HIV, but also in HIV-negative indi- viduals, according to a cohort study involving South African gold miners published in the March 5 edition of AIDS.
The findings of this study stand in contrast to a similar study published last year that was conducted in three South African gold mines and found a stable incidence of TB among HIV-negative miners despite huge increases in the incidence of TB among their HIV-positive colleagues.
The study found that the pro- portion of TB cases attributable to HIV increased from zero in 1991 to 41% in 1997.
‘The increased incidence of tuberculosis in HIV-negative miners is likely to be caused by onward transmission from the increased number of (mainly HIV-positive) tuberculosis cases.â€
Source: Aidsmap.com