| According to the World Health Organization (WHO), | | | | significantly. One out of three HIV infected people will |
| 11.4 million people in the world have both tuberculosis | | | | get the disease in the first year of the infection and |
| bacilli and HIV; and the main cause of death in these | | | | thereafter one in ten will get it. |
| people is from tuberculosis (TB) and not AIDS. | | | | A person who has HIV should get tested for the TB |
| Statistics show that in the United States, two out | | | | bacilli because the chances of getting the disease are |
| ten people who have the disease also have HIV. | | | | extremely high. However, the normal TB skin test |
| When a person is infected with TB, the bacteria may | | | | result may be false negative and that is why it is |
| lie dormant for years without causing the disease. | | | | best to have a skin test along with a chest X-ray to |
| However, in people with compromised immune | | | | rule out the disease completely. |
| systems, the bacteria become active causing the | | | | A person with active TB can infect another person |
| manifestation of the disease. And, this is exactly | | | | immaterial whether he has HIV or not. However, a |
| what happens to people who have HIV. | | | | person with the disease and full blown AIDS cannot |
| It is a serious infection when it comes to people with | | | | spread it more easily than a person who has just TB. |
| HIV. Under normal circumstances, only 10 percent of | | | | But the fact remains that people who are HIV |
| people will get the disease even if they have the | | | | positive are more likely to develop TB once they are |
| disease-causing bacilli. However, in people who have | | | | infected with the TB-causing bacilli. |
| HIV infection, the chances of getting TB increase | | | | |