New Guideline Launched by the World Health Organization (WHO)
January 19th, 2009
Priority intervention: Prevention, the support provided to the infected people and the HIV treatment in the medical system.
World Health Organization (WHO) launched in December 2008 a new guideline on the priority interventions for accomplishing an effective and substantial response on the HIV/AIDS spread.
This new guideline contains useful information for decision makers and specialists in HIV/AIDS, including technical details on a large scale of topics, from the broadening the programs of condoms distribution to the newest recommendations regarding the treatment and monitoring the patients living with HIV.
Moreover, the paper work allows a prioritization of the necessary interventions, according to the epidemiologic context of the respective country and also the capacity of the sanitary system to cope with this disease.
"... the paper work responds to a large series of needs identified for a country. In the same time, it gathers all together the best WHO's recommendations and guidelines and the types of responses to the needs specific for the respective countries." states dr Kevin M. De Cock, Director of HIV/AIDS Department with WHO.
The new guideline named "Interventions' prioritization ", represents a useful tool for decision makers in public health, directors and national HIV/AIDS programs coordinators, medical services suppliers, non-governmental organizations and others civil society's representatives, donors and people directly affected by HIV/AIDS.
The purpose of this paper is to:
· Describe the intervention priorities in HIV/AIDS necessary for ensuring the universal access to prevention, treatment and care;
· Guide the methods of prioritizing the interventions in HIV prevention and treatment;
· Direct the medical services suppliers to the best information available on the response towards the HIV infection;
The interventions recommended to the sanitary network target topics such as:
· HIV Counseling and testing;
· HIV prevention;
· HIV infected patients' treatment and care;
· HIV infection and strengthening the public health systems;
· To make operational the responses of the sanitary system towards the HIV infection;
An initial version of this paper work was launched by WHO with the occasion of the HIV/AIDS International Conference in August 2008.
The updated version, published in December 2008 can be accessed at: http://www.whoint/hiv/pub/priorityinterventions.
Also, for further information you can contact the hivhelpdesk@who.int.
