Screening for TB in Pregnancy A Supplement to: The Effect of Tuberculosis and Its Treatment on HIV-Infected Pregnant Women and Their Infants

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 .