Identifying Common Opportunistic Infections Among People With Advanced Hiv Disease

Download or read book Identifying common opportunistic infections among people with advanced HIV disease written by World Health Organization and published by World Health Organization. This book was released on 2024-01-16 with total page 28 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Advanced HIV disease (defined in persons living with HIV with a CD4 cell count of 200cells/mm3 or presenting with a WHO Stage 3/4 AIDS-defining illness) poses a challenge to many countries globally and is responsible for significant mortality and morbidity among people living with HIV. In 2017, WHO recommended a package of care for the prevention and management of advanced HIV disease. The package was composed of screening tests, diagnostics, prophylaxis, rapid antiretroviral therarpy initiation and enhanced adherence counselling.brThe key screening and diagnostics tests are for the identification of tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, histoplasmosis, and importantly, the assessment of CD4 cell count.brSupporting healthcare workers, national programmes as well as representatives of civil society in improving their understanding of how best to implement these interventions is critical for better uptake, thus improving outcomes for people living with HIV.brThis policy brief summarizes key information on the use of these interventions, based on existing WHO guidelines and recommendations.