Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000
David Pitt, Associated Press Writer
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studied the screening practices of clinics in 11 urban areas. Researchers found that the AIDS virus status was unknown for 87 percent of the 6,225 people who had close contact with infectious tuberculosis patients.
People whose immune systems are weakened by the AIDS virus are much more likely than healthy people to contract TB, which is transmitted through the air by those with active tuberculosis.
People who are exposed to tuberculosis and are found to have HIV can be treated with a new two-month regimen of a TB-prevention drug, said Suzanne Marks, a CDC epidemiologist.
People with HIV also must be screened more carefully for TB, because the usual skin test may not work for them, she said. Instead, she recommended a chest X-ray.
In the CDC study, one-third of the people infected with the AIDS virus and reporting close contact with TB patients started treatment to avoid contracting TB, but only one-sixth completed treatment.
Marks said that indicates the need for improved follow-up and tracking by health care workers.
The CDC analyzed data from June 1998 to January 1999 from clinics in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco and Santa Clara, Calif.; Atlanta; Chicago; Newark, N.J.; New York; Memphis, Tenn.; Houston; and Seattle.
On the Net: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov
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