Screening for TB in Pregnancy. on HIV-Infected Pregnant Women

Pregnant women who develop active Tuberculosis (TB) are at increased risk of poor maternal and infant outcomes. Our data from South Africa show that up to 3% of HIV-infected pregnant women have active TB , many with advanced disease, contributing to the 40% of maternal mortality associated with TB or HIV in South Africa . Screening for TB in pregnant women in this setting is therefore essential to reduce maternal mortality. Symptom-directed screening for TB has been recommended by the World Health Organization and by the South African National Department of Health; however, no implementation framework is in place to operationalize the guidelines. Symptom-based testing is an efficient process that limits use of diagnostic tests, but may miss many cases. In Soweto, we found that 0.7% (700/100,000) of HIV-infected women had active TB when a symptom-based strategy was employed once, but in Klerksdorp we found that 3.3% (3,300/100,000) had active TB when universal testing, regardless of symptoms, was performed; most TB cases were newly diagnosed among women who reported no symptoms .