South Africa to revise AIDS control program to address extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis

South Africa is taking steps to revise its HIV/AIDS control program in an effort to combat the spread of extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis, TB that is resistant to first- and second-line drugs, Nomonde Xundu, the Department of Health's chief director for HIV and TB, said on Thursday, Reuters reports.

XDR-TB could exacerbate the HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa, where about five million out of a population of 45 million people are HIV-positive, and as many as 1,000 people die of AIDS-related complications daily, according to Reuters.

About 183 people, most of whom were HIV-positive, have died from XDR-TB in South Africa since September 2006.

Health planners are investigating ways to address HIV/TB coinfection and TB screening before launching a new AIDS control strategy in March, Xundu said.

Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said the "biggest challenge" remains poor treatment adherence among people with TB.

She added that none of the people living with XDR-TB offered counseling in the country has declined treatment and that the government does not believe compulsory isolation is necessary (Reuters, 2/15).

Tshabalala-Msimang also said that the health department plans to strengthen the DOTS strategy to prevent the spread of multi-drug resistant and XDR-TB and will continue to collaborate with local and international experts to find ways to control the spread of XDR-TB (SAPA/iAfrica.com, 2/16).