Updated HIV Guidelines from the CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published an updated guideline on recommendations for preventing HIV transmission.

The guideline, "Recommendations for HIV Prevention With Adults and Adolescents With HIV in the United States, 2014," updates and expands 4 recommendations covered in the 2003 guideline issued, including:

·       Behavioral screening for possible HIV transmission

·       Sexually transmitted disease screening and treatment

·       HIV partner services

·       Referral for medical and social services

The new guideline adds 7 topics as well:

1.     Individual, social, structural, ethical, legal, and programmatic factors influencing HIV transmission and use of services

2.     Medical care linkage and retention

3.     Antiretroviral therapy (ART)

4.     Methods to sustain ART adherence

5.     Reproductive healthcare for men and women

6.     Pregnancy-related services

7.     Methods to monitor, evaluate, and improve quality of HIV prevention and care and programs for HIV-infected individuals

The 2003 guideline provided recommendations to healthcare providers who treated persons with HIV, but the new guideline expands recommendations to clinical and nonclinical providers and health department staff members who provide population-level prevention and care services.

For this guideline, the CDC partnered with the Health Resources and Services Administration, the National Institutes of Health, and 5 nongovernmental organizations: (1) the American Academy of HIV Medicine; (2) the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care; (3) the International Association of Providers of AIDS Care; (4) the National Minority AIDS Council; and (5) the Urban Coalition for HIV/AIDS Prevention Services.

Click here for the full CDC guideline.—Kerri Fitzgerald