Saturday 24 March 2012
TB or not TB
Today is World TB Day. This morning, I attended an orientation session organized by BOCAIP for front line HIV testers and counselors. Like HIV, TB is a major health issue in Botswana. Since 1989, Botswana has experienced a 3-fold increase in TB incidence and now has one of the highest rates of TB in the world. The increase has largely been attributed to the country`s HIV epidemic. It is estimated that 60-84% of TB patients in Botswana are currently HIV infected. Part of the role of the HIV testers and counselors is to screen for TB, help clients understand the relationship between TB and HIV, and recommend appropriate follow-up treatment and support.
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what is TB exactly?
ReplyDeleteHi Rachel. That is a good question. Too often, we use acronyms without explaining them first. TB is tuberculosis.
DeleteI had an experience with acronyms recently at a meeting. I saw ANC written in a slide. The slide was about efforts to prevent mother to child transmission of HIV. I thought ANC meant 'African National Congress'. So, I asked how many of the ANC clients were pregnant women. I was a bit surprised with the answer: "All of them, of course". It seems that ANC also means 'Ante-Natal Care' (their term for Pre-Natal Care).