Impact of the growing HIV-1 epidemic on multidrug-resistant tuberculosis control in Latvia

• Published in: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease Vol. 7; no. 9; pp. 903 - 906
• Main Authors: MOROZOVA, I, RIEKSTINA, V, STURE, G, WELLS, C, LEIMANE, V
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris, France IUATLD 01-09-2003; Union internationale contre la tuberculose et les maladies respiratoires
• Subjects: Bacterial diseases; Biological and medical sciences; Communicable Disease Control; Comorbidity; Disease Outbreaks; Drug Resistance, Multiple; Health Policy; HIV; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV Infections - epidemiology; HIV-1 - pathogenicity; Human bacterial diseases; Humans; Infection Control; Infectious diseases; Latvia; Latvia - epidemiology; Medical sciences; Multidrug Resistance; Policy Making; Seroepidemiologic Studies; Substance-Related Disorders; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis and atypical mycobacterial infections; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - complications; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - drug therapy; Tuberculosis, Pulmonary - epidemiology; Eastern Europe; Latvia; Europe; Epidemic; Human; Immunopathology; multidrug resistance; Treatment resistance; HIV-1 virus; Retroviridae; AIDS; Mycobacterial infection; Immune deficiency; Lentivirus; Epidemiology; Infection; Virus; Control; Latvia; Tuberculosis; HIV; Viral disease; Multiple resistance; Bacteriosis; Human immunodeficiency virus; Public health
• ISSN: 1027-3719; 1815-7920

Latvia, a country with levels of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB among the highest in the world, experienced a 58-fold increase in HIV seroprevalence among all persons tested in the country from 1996 through 2001. In addition, HIV seroprevalence among TB cases increased from 0.4% to 1.4%, and among MDR-TB cases from 0% to 5.6% from 1998 through 2001, potentially compromising gains made to date in controlling the countryÕs MDR-TB epidemic. The following will be critical to the future of MDR-TB control in Latvia: containing HIV transmission in the country, particularly among injection drug users who comprised 72% of all HIV cases reported in the country by the end of 2001, as well as 81% of all MDR-TB cases co-infected with HIV; expanding capabilities to more rapidly detect and successfully treat patients with MDR-TB; developing mutual TB control strategies between the National TB and AIDS programs; and continuing to improve institutional infection control measures, particularly in hospitals and prisons where an increasing number of persons infected with HIV come into contact with persons with active MDR-TB.