WHO Releases New HIV Guidelines Aimed At Resource-Limited Settings

World AIDS Day on December 1 has traditionally beena great opportunity for different agencies to issue updatedHIV/AIDS guidelines. In late 2009, the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services (DHHS) (http://www.aidsinfo.nih.gov/ContentFiles/AdultandAdolescentGL.pdf) and theEuropean AIDS Clinical Society (EACS) (http://www.europeanaidsclinicalsociety.org/Guidelines2009/index.htm) issuedthe latest updates of their guidelines. These recommendationsare widely used by clinicians in Westerncountries. Following the same steps, on the eve of WorldAIDS Day 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO)released new recommendations for using antiretroviraltherapy in adults and adolescents (http://www.who.int/entity/hiv/pub/arv/rapid_advice_art.pdf), prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) (http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/mtct/rapid_advice_mtct.pdf) and infant feeding (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2009/9789241598873_eng.pdf). The full guidelines publication is expected toappear in early 2010. This document updates prior WHOguidelines released in 2006. The revised WHO recommendationswill have a significant impact in resourcelimitedcountries, where they will serve as a reference forbest clinical practice, allowing to set national standardsfor HIV treatment and care.