Africa: HIV complicates fight against TB

TB is primarily an illness of the respiratory system, spread by coughing and sneezing, which kills about two million people across the globe each year. The disease is linked to poverty, with Africa accounting for a quarter of all notified TB cases worldwide. The strategy for treating TB, adopted by the World Health Organisation (WHO) 11 years ago, requires health workers to watch patients swallow their pills for at least the first two months of treatment. Directly Observed Treatment Short-course (DOTS) strategy, as it is known, demands that patients then be closely monitored to make sure they complete the entire six-month course of drugs.
Related Link: TB in south Africa
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