TB: The Leading Cause of Death for People With HIV



TB: The Leading Cause of Death for People With HIV
 
  Imagine TB as kindling
Two billion people — one-third of humanity — carry a latent TB infection. The vast majority of those infected live their whole lives without becoming sick with TB or spreading the infection. The body’s immune defenses seal the invading TB germs within a tiny capsule at the infection site — preventing the germs from multiplying.

Now picture HIV as a match
HIV destroys the immune system. When this happens, the capsule containing the TB germs weakens and breaks. The germs spill out and multiply. The person becomes sick with tuberculosis, transmitting the germs to others through a telltale cough.

-Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 24 July, 2012: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0712/78906.html


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