“It is certain that TasP [Treatment as Prevention] needs to be considered as a key element of combination HIV prevention and as a major part of the solution to ending the HIV epidemic.”With that statement, the World Health Organization (WHO) issued its June 2012 Programmatic Update on Antiretroviral Treatment as Prevention (TasP) of HIV and TB, available at the link below.
As countries continue to expand antiretroviral therapy (ART) programs for HIV-positive children and adults, WHO says, “it is expected that they will concurrently identify opportunities to maximize the use of ART for prevention purposes.”
TasP should focus on specific populations—such as HIV-discordant couples and pregnant women—in whom prevention should have the greatest impact. UNAIDS issued updates and guidance for these populations “and is working with countries to address programmatic and operational challenges to inform the consolidated guidelines to be released in mid-2013.”
The Programmatic Update includes guiding principles, the evidence base for TasP, a review of the current status of national HIV treatment guidelines and implementation experience with TasP, programmatic and operational considerations, and WHO’s three priority areas:
• Develop norms and standards for treatment as prevention
• Inform programmatic and operational decisions
• Define metrics for monitoring and evaluating the impact of TasP
WHO’s Gottfried Hirnschall told attendees at a London meeting that the new TasP recommendations will almost double the number of people judged to need antiretroviral therapy, aidsmap.com reports.
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