New Delhi, December 23 (IANS). The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised CD4 test to identify advanced stage HIV patients.
This new recommendation is part of the 2025 Guidelines on Advanced HIV.
WHO defines advanced HIV disease as “CD4 cell count less than 200 cells/mm3” in adults, adolescents and children aged five years and older.
WHO said, “Advanced HIV is the leading cause of death from AIDS. It is a serious public health problem. The problem persists despite good HIV testing and treatment and achieving the 95–95–95 targets.”
All children with HIV under the age of five years should be considered as having advanced HIV.
“The 2025 Guidelines emphasize the need for better ways to identify advanced HIV and improve outcomes for people with HIV who are discharged from hospital,” WHO said.
In new guidelines, WHO has recommended CD4 testing for the diagnosis of advanced HIV.
“WHO clinical staging can be used to identify advanced HIV in areas where CD4 testing is not currently available,” the global health organization said.
CD4 testing can be used to detect advanced HIV in people who are starting or returning to ART, who are seeking treatment, who have had an unsuccessful treatment regimen, and who are hospitalized or critically ill or considered clinically unstable.
WHO notes that CD4 testing can be used even when viral load testing is not available, to help identify if treatment fails. CD4 testing can also help assess eligibility for withholding co-trimoxazole prophylaxis (antibiotic) and fluconazole prophylaxis (antifungal medications).
The UN health agency also recommended paclitaxel or pegylated liposomal doxorubicin as a pharmacologic treatment for people living with HIV who have Kaposi sarcoma (a rare type of cancer that forms in the lining of blood vessels and lymph vessels). These guidelines also emphasize early detection, rapid initiation of ART and better clinical management to reduce disease and death.
“By implementing these recommendations, countries can reduce severe disease and mortality, improve treatment outcomes, and advance global HIV elimination goals,” WHO said.
–IANS
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