Almost universal coverage: HIV testing among TB patients in a rural public programme [Correspondence]

TL;DRAbstract

With many tuberculosis (TB) patients also human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected, testing all TB patients for HIV is important so that HIV treatment can be initiated promptly. HIV testing in TB patients is one important route into combined HIV and TB treatment and care.1 We collected data as part of a multi-site cross-sectional study, Researching Equity in Access to Healthcare (REACH), to examine HIV testing coverage in TB patients, administering a structured questionnaire to 300 patients accessing TB treatment in five primary health care clinics in Hlabisa sub-district, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. These clinics operate within the Hlabisa HIV Treatment and Care Programme, with separate, vertically structured TB and HIV services devolved to the primary health care level.2 In 2009, the TB notification rate in the area was approximately 928 per 100 000 population and HIV prevalence among adults in 2010 was 24%; the rate of co-infection was 76%.3 Fifty-three per cent of patient

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