2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers’ Meeting, June 16-19, 2007, Kigali, Rwanda

Plenary on experience in setting up joint TB/HIV services in Kenya Dr J M Chakaya from the National TB Control Programme (NTP) in Kenya gave a talk entitled ‘TB/HIV: Integration of services and stopping the newest epidemic’. Kenya has a national HIV prevalence of 7% and almost 120 000 TB cases registered in 2006 although there is some suggestion that the rise in TB caseload is levelling off. An estimated 60% of TB patients are also HIV-positive. In 3 quarter 2005 the NTP incorporated HIV indicators into TB reporting and from then to 4 quarter of 2006 the proportion of TB patients counselled and tested increased from 49% to over 65%, coverage of cotrimoxazole preventive therapy increased from 60% to 85% and that of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for co-infected TB patients remained stable at 25-29% (Figure 1). This was due to the fact that there were 320 ART sites compared to 1,801 TB clinics in the country! In spite of this impediment of ART access among TB patients, they represent 30% of all individuals on ART (125,000) at the moment.