HIV and TB are a lethal combination, each speeding the other's progress. People with HIV and TB are 30 to 50 times more likely to become sick with TB than someone infected with TB who is HIV-negative. TB is a harder to diagnose in, and a leading cause of death among, people who are HIV-positive, accounting for about 15% of AIDS deaths worldwide.

"Tuberculosis kills 2 million people each year. The global epidemic is growing and becoming more dangerous. The breakdown in health services, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB are contributing to the worsening impact of this disease.

It is estimated that between 2000 and 2020, nearly one billion people will be newly infected, 200 million people will get sick, and 35 million will die from TB - if control is not further strengthened."   (World Health Organisation, WHO)

Patients are a key focus in the fight against TB. Only by identifying patients, treating them more efectively and reducing their number can TB targets be met. But the Global Plan to Stop TB 2006 - 2015 also identifies patients as key players in the fight against TB.