TB Causes Deaths of More Than 60% of People Living With AIDS in India

Tuberculosis causes the deaths of more than 60% of people living with AIDS in India, according to statistics from the country's National AIDS Control Organization, the Times of India reports. AIDS also is contributing to the resurgence of TB in India, prompting officials to increase and integrate HIV/AIDS and TB control programs beginning this year. The national AIDS program over the next five years will spend $500 million of its $2.5 billion allocated budget on treatment and care. India by 2012 plans to create 2,500 integrated counseling and testing centers in universities, hospitals and medical centers nationwide. The centers will test 21 million people, three million of whom are expected to show symptoms of TB, Kurien Thomas of the Christian Medical College said. Those with TB symptoms will be referred to the Revised National TB Control Program. There are 2,815 integrated counseling and testing centers that screen HIV-positive people for TB. Under the new initiative, HIV testing centers will become integrated counseling and testing centers. The initiative likely will be implemented in November (Sinha, Times of India, 8/10).