Addis Ababa, 8 December 2011 -- The World Health Organization (WHO) has presented a new normative guidance document on the prevention, diagnosis and management of cryptococcal disease in HIV-infected adults, adolescents and children, with a focus on settings with limited health systems capacity and resources, and a high burden of the disease.

Cryptococcal disease, a little known but one of most important opportunistic infections in humans, is believed to account for between 13 % and 44 % of deaths in HIV-infected cohorts in resource-limited settings.

The WHO publication, to be officially launched in March 2012,   is entitled RAPID ADVICE – DIAGNOSIS, PREVENTION AND MANAGEMENT   OF CYPTOCOCCAL DISEASE IN HIV-INFECTED ADULTS, ADOLECENTS AND CHILDREN.

Rapid Advice was first made public on Wednesday during a special session at the 4 - 8 December 2011 16th International Conference on HIVAIDS and STIs taking place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

The document outlines standards for high quality care of persons living with HIV infection and patients with cryptococcal disease, by providing evidence-based recommendations that consider the risks and benefits, acceptability, feasibility, cost and other resource implications.

Rapid Advice recommends six broad areas of intervention including,   early diagnosis and treatment; prevention of the disease by initiating early antiretroviral therapy (ART), and the induction, consolidation and maintenance of treatment regimens.

 Other broad action areas of intervention include adhering to a minimal pack-age of toxicity prevention, monitoring and management of amphotericin B, a medicine used for the treatment of cryptococcal disease; and optimal timing of ART initiation or provider-initiated HIV testing and counseling and referral for HIV care services in order to facilitate early HIV diagnosis and uptake of ART.

The sixth broad general   area of intervention is the discontinuation of treatment in adults and adolescents   with successfully treated cryptococcal disease.  However, this   recommendation also advises the continuation of treatment in children less than two years old.

In sub Saharan alone, where more than 500,000 deaths each year due to cryptococcal meningitis, the commonest presentation of HIV-related cryptococcal disease is in adults.

To download  Rapid Advice, go to:  http://www.who.int/hiv/pub/cryptococcal_disease2011/en/

For more information, contact:

Technical contact:

Emil Asamoah-Odei, Programme Manager a.i., Regional HIV/AIDS Programme
Tel: +47 241 39277;
E-mail:   asamoahodeie [at] afro.who.int

Media contact:

Samuel Ajibola
Tel: +47 241 39378;
E-mail:   ajibolas [at] afro.who.int