MIN/Sp/AU/CAMH3/6 TB Page 28 By the end of 2007, there were still 10 Member States without facilities to identify drug resistant TB cases, translating into 78.3% coverage with culture and drug susceptibility testing coverage by country. Of the 26 countries that reported at least a case of MDR or XDR-TB during 2007, only 17 countries (65.4%) have an organized treatment programme. As of January 2008, only 9 countries 43 had applied and been approved to access concessionary priced second line drugs from the Green Light Committee (GLC) of the Stop TB Partnership. This facility is available to all DOTS based TB Control programmes. 5.2.4: Status of implementation of TB/HIV Interventions While the increase in notified TB cases in the region is widespread, it is most noticeable where HIV prevalence is high. HIV promotes the progression of TB infection to disease while TB is responsible for over 40% of AIDS related deaths in the region and is an AIDS defining condition. Several randomised trials have demonstrated the effectiveness of joint tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS interventions in reducing morbidity and mortality among dually infected persons 44 and such interventions are now recommended as standard minimum package of care for dually infected persons. During 2006, only 22% of notified cases were tested for HIV, compared to the 100% set by the Abuja Summit. However, this represents a 1005 increase in coverage compares to 11.2% for 2005. Of those who tested positive, 37.1% were started on Anti-Retroviral Therapy (ART), increasing from 27.3% in 2005. Again this is far less than the 100% target. At this rate, the region is unlikely to reach the 100% target by 2010. However, 11 countries 45 recorded ART coverage of 30% and above, ranging from 30.8% in Rwanda to 56.9% in Malawi. Furthermore, 89.1% were started on Co-trimoxazole preventive therapy (CPT), a 23.4% increase compared to 72.2% in 2005. At this rate, Universal access to CPT is likely to be achieved by 2010. 5.3: Access to essential anti-TB medicines TB is a bacteriological disease and its treatment if fundamentally antibacterial. Uninterrupted access to effective and high quality anti-TB medicines is key to an effective TB control programme and must be ensured. Overall, availability of first line anti-TB drugs has improved tremendously. By the end of December 2007, all 36 eligible countries from the region that applied to the GDF secured 3 year first line anti-TB drug grants, including pediatric formulations for some countries. 43 Burkina Faso, DRC, Guinea Conakry, Kenya, Lesotho, Mozambique, Rwanda, Tanzania (preapproval stage) and Uganda 44 WHO Interim policy on collaborative TB/HIV activities, Geneva, World Health Organisation, 2004 45 Benin, Cote D’Ivoire, DRC, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Rwanda, South Africa and Zambia