South African TB Conference 2010 - “Forging Strategic Partnerships to Fight TB and HIV”

Organised by the Foundation for Professional Development (FPD), the South African TB Conference is designed to be a forum for people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and skills to come together to review the evidence and to debate and develop innovative approaches to fighting tuberculosis (TB) in the era of HIV. Organised under the theme Forging Strategic Partnerships to Fight TB and HIV , the conference seeks to highlight two central strategies. The first is the involvement of communities in prevention, case finding, and case holding activities. The second is the provision of integrated TB and HIV services. According to the organisers, in most of southern Africa more than half of TB patients are living with HIV. To avoid missed opportunities and improve the quality of care, TB and HIV services should be integrated in health facilities and communities.