August 2018

HIV and Tuberculosis

Tuberculosis, or TB, is a serious health threat, especially for people with HIV.

TB is caused by a germ. Not everyone who has the TB germ gets sick.
Some people have latent TB infection. They don’t feel sick, don’t have symptoms,
and can’t spread TB germs.

In some people, latent TB infection becomes TB disease. People with TB disease are sick, have
symptoms, and can spread TB germs. Without treatment, TB disease can lead to death.

Get Tested
• People with TB disease need to be tested for HIV.
• People with HIV need to be tested for TB.
• Some people with HIV may need a TB test every year if they are at
ongoing risk for being exposed to TB. Ask your doctor.
Why
• People with HIV and latent TB infection are more likely to develop
TB disease than people without HIV.
• If you have HIV and TB disease, each disease makes the
other worse.

Get Treated
• People with HIV and TB disease need to start treatment for both diseases right away.
• If you have TB, taking TB medicine the right way can save your life and protect other people around you.
• If you have HIV, taking HIV medicine as prescribed can keep you healthy and help prevent transmission
to others.
• Drug interactions can make it harder to treat people with HIV and TB. People with HIV and TB should find
a doctor who can help manage both diseases.
• Drug-resistant TB can develop when a TB patient is not treated with the right medicine or does not take
the medicine the right way.

IN 2016, 9,272 TB CASES WERE REPORTED IN THE UNITED STATES.

90% OF PEOPLE WITH TB DISEASE KNEW THEIR HIV STATUS.

AMONG PEOPLE WITH TB DISEASE WHO KNEW

THEIR HIV STATUS, 6% WERE LIVING WITH HIV.

National Center for HIV/AIDS, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and TB Prevention

Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention
 HIV Coinfection Among People With TB
Disease and a Documented HIV Test, by Year
3,466
3,500 3,403

3,000 2,869

2,461
2,500

1,999
2,000
1,755
1,658

1,500 1,398
1,369 1,344
1,280
1,150
1,017
1,000 927
845
792
687
649
596 611
536
491
500
456 454

1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

How is CDC making a difference?

• Evaluating new ways to diagnose people living with HIV and TB.
• Developing new medical treatments for people living with HIV and TB.
• Educating health care workers by offering training and promoting evidence-based guidelines.
• Supporting global TB control.

Visit www.cdc.gov/hiv or www.cdc.gov/tb for more information about HIV and TB coinfection.

Reduce Your HIV Risk

HIV IS A VIRUS THAT ATTACKS
Not having sex THE BODY’S IMMUNE SYSTEM.
It is usually spread by anal or vaginal sex or sharing syringes
with a person who has HIV. The only way to know you have
Using
condoms HIV is to be tested. Everyone aged 13-64 should be tested
at least once, and people at high risk should be tested at
least once a year. Ask your doctor, or visit gettested.cdc.gov
Not sharing
syringes to find a testing site. Without treatment, HIV can make a
person very sick or may even cause death. If you have HIV,
Taking medicine start treatment as soon as possible to stay healthy and help
to prevent
or treat HIV protect your partners.

For More Information Call 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

Visit www.cdc.gov/hiv

All content is based on the most recent data available in August 2018.