Package of Care for Children and Adolescents with Advanced HIV Disease: Stop AIDS

The major causes of morbidity and mortality among children living with HIV in low- and middle-income countries are pneumonia (including Pneumocystis pneumonia), tuberculosis (TB), bloodstream infections, diarrhoeal disease and severe acute malnutrition. In addition, for adolescents living with HIV, adult-type opportunistic infections also occur, including cryptococcal meningitis. WHO published guidelines on the management of advanced HIV disease in 2017, promoting a package of interventions to prevent, identify and treat HIV-associated infections among people with advanced HIV disease. This publication builds on the 2017 guidelines and highlights existing WHO recommendations and implementation considerations that are relevant to the care of children and adolescents with advanced HIV disease. It is therefore not meant to be a comprehensive review of all severe comorbidities that affect children living with HIV. In addition, many of the interventions described here are also relevant for children and adolescents living with HIV who do not have advanced disease.