Leaders Warn of Deadly HIV, TB Collision

Abstract

AT A RECENT GATHERING OF global health leaders at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York City, Margaret Chan, MD, described a chilling scenario. Chan, the Director-General of the World Health Organization(WHO), told thegroup that drug-resistant forms of tuberculosis (TB) are on an increasingly deadly collision course with HIV infection. “Earlier this year, WHO released a report indicating that multidrug-resistant TB has reached the highest levels ever recorded,” said Chan. “Even more ominousistheemergenceofextensivelydrugresistant TB [XDR-TB], which is virtually impossible to treat.” Chan said any furtherspreadofXDR-TBwouldbeasetback “of epic proportions” in global efforts tocontrol thespreadofTBandHIV. “If we allow XDR-TB to spread,” Chan said, “we are, in effect, going back to the pre-antibiotic era.”