The TB bacteria accelerate the progression of HIV infection to AIDS, weakening the body’s immune system until it can no longer fight disease. Every day more than 1000 people living with HIV die of tuberculosis. The combination of the two epidemics (HIV & TB) has made TB the leading cause of death in people living with HIV. TB/HIV is a deadly combination. People living with HIV are 20 to 30 times more likely to develop active TB than people without HIV infection. This was disclosed by Dr Virendra Kaul (Nodal Officer folk media campaign on HIV) at who was on monitoring visit to folk media show in the high burden zone of Kathog (Jwalamukhi) in Kangra District of North India. Our goal is to reduce tuberculosis deaths in people living with HIV by 50 per cent by 2015, he added.
Over 50 folk media shows are being conducted in the district to blast the myths and misconceptions. Folk Media has been recognized as a powerful communication tool to reach out to people with social messages particularly in rural areas.