OVER the past two decades, the fight against HIV/AIDS has united the world as few other issues have before. As a result of the extraordinary efforts of scientists, activists, and world leaders, AIDS has gone from being a certain death sentence in most parts of the world to a treatable chronic condition. Much remains to be done, but the progress has been nothing short of remarkable.
Which is why it is unacceptable that we are allowing 25 years of progress to crumble before our eyes. Tuberculosis is the leading cause of death among people with HIV, and years of neglect have allowed it to become deadlier than ever, especially in those areas most ravaged by AIDS. By neglecting TB, we risk undoing some of the greatest achievements in global health activism.
One reason TB funding has languished is that in many developed countries it is regarded as a disease of the past. Some of those fortunate enough to have quality healthcare are surprised to hear that TB even still exists. But every year, 1.7 million people die from TB, and 9 million more are infected annually. Those who are most susceptible live in the poorest regions of the world, and those with compromised immune systems, like HIV/AIDS patients, are especially prone to catching TB.
As a TB-HIV survivor, I am one of the fortunate ones. After eight years of living with HIV/AIDS, I contracted a severe case of tuberculosis. My treatment required multiple surgeries and months in a hospital. I was lucky to have access to treatment. But there are many who do not have the same opportunity.
Approximately half of those living with HIV will develop TB in their lifetimes. Even more worrisome is the fact that increasingly drug-resistant forms of TB have emerged, often killing those who are infected before they are even diagnosed, but not before they have potentially passed the disease on to others. The first outbreak of the deadliest form of TB, extensively drug-resistant TB (or XDR-TB), occurred among HIV/AIDS patients. Fifty-two out of 53 of those infected died within weeks.
This need not happen. If caught early, TB can be treated for $20 worth of drugs. However, as the disease gets more drug-resistant, it becomes more expensive to treat. XDR-TB can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to treat, and require surgery. In poor countries, it's a death sentence.
One major problem is that only 1 percent of people living with HIV/AIDS are tested for TB. This is because most AIDS clinics do not have the capacity to test for TB, and results sometimes take weeks to obtain. It is hard enough for those in rural areas to receive treatment for their HIV; it is impossible to ask them to seek separate treatment for TB.
The World Health Organization has calculated that universal access to coordinated TB-HIV services could be achieved, and TB-HIV deaths could be reduced by 80 percent, with a worldwide investment of $19 billion between now and 2015. Divided among the wealthy countries and donor institutions that already provide resources to fight AIDS, this is a tiny percentile.
President-elect Obama has been vocal about his commitment to continuing the progress made by the Bush administration in fighting infectious diseases, and upholding the US commitment to the Millennium Development Goals to fight poverty and disease. Last year, Congress passed a historic bill that authorized $48 billion to fight AIDS, TB, and malaria. My fellow Kenyans and I are grateful to President Bush for the work he has done, and to Obama and his colleagues for passing this historic bill. In order to make good on those commitments, Obama and other leaders must ensure that joint TB-HIV programs are adequately addressed. The fight against AIDS - and global health at large - depends on it.
Lucy Chesire, a patient activist, was the first female health professional in her native Kenya to publicly acknowledge her HIV-positive status. 
