contaminated within a few hours. A South African

firm is now selling cheap airtight containers to clinics.

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A survey from London hospitals has shown that patients who are diagnosed with both HIV and tuberculosis (TB) are among the most difficult group to treat. There are now more cases of TB in London than anywhere else in Europe, with two deaths and 50 new cases every week.
The study looked at 188 London patients diagnosed with TB and HIV between 1996 and '99. Four out of 10 had no idea they were HIV positive when diagnosed with TB.
Most had advanced HIV illness: their average CD4 count was 94, and 39 per cent fell ill with Aids while they were on TB therapy. The study's authors recommended that HIV/TB co-infected patients with CD4 counts under 100 should be started on HIV therapy immediately - regardless of the risk of side effects.
In practice, however, over half were not prescribed HIV therapy while on TB treatment, because patients receiving TB and HIV therapy together were almost twice as likely to experience bad reactions to HIV drugs. The women in the group were four times more likely. This meant that either the TB or the HIV therapy had to be stopped. Bad reactions to TB drugs mainly occurred in the first two months of therapy, so the study's authors suggested that HIV therapy could be delayed for two

months in all but the most immune-compromised patients.