Health Surveillance & Disease Prevention & Control — Communicable Diseases: 
Acute Respiratory Infections - Anthrax - Antimicrobial Resistance - Campylobacter - Chagas -
Cholera - Dengue - Diarrheal/Enteric Diseases - Disease Outbreak News -
Emerging/Reemerging Diseases - Filariasis - Hantavirus - Influenza: Avian |  Pandemic |  Seasonal - International Health Regulations - Leishmaniasis - Leprosy - Malaria -
Neglected Diseases - Parasitic Diseases - Rabies - Research - Salmonella - Shigella - Smallpox -
Tuberculosis - West Nile Virus  - Yellow Fever  -
Health Analysis & Statistics - Chronic Diseases - Veterinary Public Health

Guide for TB/HIV Counselling and Testing in Tuberculosis Programs

Complete Counselling Set
(in Spanish, PDF)
- Flipchart for health professionals to use when counselling patients:
a. everyday slide format (9.4 Mb)
b. professional print format (13 Mb)
- Practitioners' Guide, full text
(32 pp, 716 Kb; chapter headings translated below for user orientation)
Cover (3 Mb)
Acknowledgements
Introduction (translation to right)

Unit I: The Challenge of TB/HIV Co-Infection
- Epidemiology of Tuberculosis and AIDS
- HIV/AIDS-Tuberculosis Interprogrammatic Collaboration Activities

Unit II: Basic Principles of HIV Counselling and Testing
- Background
- Principles of HIV/AIDS Counselling
- General Information on HIV Tests

Unit III: HIV Counselling and Testing in Tuberculosis Patients
- General Recommendations
- Steps to Follow in Counselling Sessions
Step 1: Presentation
Step 2: Risk Evaluation
Step 3: Testing
Step 4: Communicating Test Results
Step 5: Defining a Risk-Reduction Plan
Step 6: Identifying Sources of Support
- When to Refer Patients to Other Services

Unit IV: Quality Assurance and Supervision

Unit V: Using This Guide for Training

Bibliography
Annex 1: Model Questions for HIV Counselling

Stop TB Partnership

PAHO Links
- Workshops on TB/HIV:
8/2006 |  | 4/2006 | 2004 | 2003
- Workshops on TB in Prisons:
2006 | 2004 | 2003
- Tuberculosis Page
- HIV/AIDS Page

WHO Links
TB/HIV |  Tuberculosis |  HIV | Joint HIV/Tuberculosis Interventions

This guide was prepared especially in Spanish to meet the needs of Latin American TB and HIV Programs in TB/HIV counselling and testing activities. A summary in English is provided here.

This Guide for TB/HIV Counselling and Testing in Tuberculosis Programs was developed to provide support to health workers involved in caring for persons with tuberculosis in all areas of the health sector. Its intention is to promote the development of the necessary skills in TB control teams, with the objective of reducing the risk of TB patients of contracting HIV infection and to offer antiretroviral treatment and comprehensive care to those who are have acquired the infection.

The guide is divided into five units:

1. Unit I includes basic concepts on tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, the threat represented by TB/HIV co-infection, and the importance of collaborative activities between tuberculosis and AIDS programs.
2. Unit II provides a succinct presentation of the concept of counselling for HIV testing, in such a way that those using the guide can acquire general knowledge on the topic.
3. Unit III presents the fundamental principles of HIV counselling and testing in tuberculosis patients and the different ways to adapt it to specific conditions.
4. Unit IV concentrates on quality control and supervision as a fundamental aspect to guarantee the effectiveness of HIV counselling and testing activities in tuberculosis patients.
5. Given the great need for training in counselling for members of tuberculosis teams, Unit V offers a few ideas on how to use the material in the first four units in training programs.

The definition of "counselling" used in this guide refers to a "process of dialog between health service providers and patients to explore and identify particular circumstances that put the patient at risk, identify challenges vis-à-vis the necessary behaviorial changes, help the patient make good choices, establish goals, and develop plans to reach these goals."

Although it may not be feasible for everybody working in tuberculosis programs to receive formal training, we do recommend that they receive some orientation and exposure to counselling.

To do this, they can take advantage of the important training resources in counselling available through national AIDS programs, or they can take advantage of the suggestions contained in Unit V of this guide. The term "counsellor" used in this guide refers to any health service provider engaged in dialog with or providing orientation to patients so that they can make sound decisions on HIV testing and plans based on test results.

The practical recommendations provided here can be tailored to the particular circumstances and needs of individual patients, to tuberculosis control programs, and to the national guidelines and legal regulations in effect in each locality.

The counselling that accompanies TB testing is not only beneficial for public health purposes but also is aimed at respecting the patients' human rights.