The UK Coalition for people living with HIV launched the "Knowledge is Power Project" in 2003 to deal with Hepatitis C and/or Tuberculosis co-infection in people who are HIV positive.

They aim to raise awareness of the prevalence of TB and HCV infections and to educate people about transmission, treatment and available support services.  For this project to be successful, we need the involvement of HIV positive people who are, or have been, co-infected with TB or Hepatitis C. Would you like to share your experiences with them? How did you find out about your diagnosis? How do you think you contracted Hepatitis C or TB? How have you coped with being co-infected?

Question and Answer session transcript from the UKC Hepatitis C evening held in February 2004 with medical experts Dr Mark Nelson of the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, and Dr Sanjay Bhagani of the Royal Free Hospital, Hampstead ... read it here

The UKC are also organising focus groups to find out more about the experiences of HIV positive people who are co-infected with TB or Hepatitis C. If you would like to be involved, please contact us on 020 7564 2180 or email: scole@ukcoalition.org The focus group participants will receive £25 for taking part.

For further information on these issues you can visit the UKC Website at:

www.ukcoalition.org/Weblinks/coinfection.html

 

HIV and Hepatitis C co-infection

Increasing numbers of people with HIV are being found to also be infected with Hepatitis C. UKC have introduced "co-infection" project to work in partnership with other organisations. The Knowledge is Power project is funded by the Department of Health and managed by Susan Cole and Robert Fieldhouse. Read more about it by clicking here.

Information about intranasal cocaine use (snorting coke) ... read more.

Read what Dr Mark Nelson of London's Chelsea and Westminster Hospital has to say about the increase in Hepatitis C infection in patients at his clinic ... click here.

In February 2004, two eminent doctors answered questions from patients about Hepatitis C & HIV co-infection - read their answers here.

For further information on this issue you can visit the UKC Website at: www.ukcoalition.org/hepc/

HIV and TB co-infection

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 multi drug-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)

For further information on this issue you can visit the UKC Website at: www.ukcoalition.org/tb/