Mdr Tb Cohort Study

TITLE: EVALUATION OF HIV SEROPOSITIVITY AMONG MDR-TB ADULT PATIENTS AT NDOLA CENTRAL HOSPITAL

CAPSTONE PROJECT ( PRIMARY RESEARCH).

A Retrospective Cohort Study, by Vivian Mwiinga, Ndola, Zambia.

(RN, Bsc. Nursing, MPH, PhD Public Health Student of Texila American University)

Email: [e-mail]

1.4 JUSTIFICATION

The investigator wishes to establish the disease burden of HIV sero-positivity in MDR- TB Co-infection as it is a major threat to the health of the nation. The investigation from the public health perspective will help in understanding the disease burden in order to come up with good policy prescriptions in the prevention and control of HIV / MDR- TB co-infection. The study will also generate first hand data based on local experience and will strengthen

According to World Health Organization (WHO), they reported that in 2010 there were 350,000 people who died with active TB and HIV infection, meaning an increase between 2010 and 2011(1). However in November 2012 UNAIDS reported that there had been a 13% reduction in TB associated HIV deaths in the last two years. The relationship between HIV infection and multi drug resistant MDR TB is not well understood, but there is currently no evidence supporting an association between MDR TB and HIV outside of institutional outbreaks of MDR TB (2). However, the high number of deaths from MDR TB in people who have both MDR TB and HIV can have devastating and demoralizing effects on communities, and this has already been seen in South Africa (3). In Zambia the magnitude of HIV / MDR TB co- infections is not well established as there is scanty literature and hence to carry out a study on HIV / MDR TB co-infection. In view of the above, the study aims at establishing the burden of HIV / MDR TB co - infection among adults who were admitted at Ndola central hospital MDR TB ward from 2010 to April