Comprehensive Care

Comprehensive care for people infected with or affected by HIV

Establish a continuum of care, including:

· Clinic and hospital care: Develop clinical guidelines based on national guidelines for case management of HIV-related illnesses for the treatment of symptoms and opportunistic infections, including prophylaxis where feasible and appropriate. Include access to antiretroviral treatment if appropriate and feasible. Ensure nutritional needs and tuberculosis control are addressed.

· Draw up an essential drug list for care of HIV-related illnesses and ensure the procurement and supply of these drugs.²⁸ Train health workers in the use of clinical guidelines and essential drug list.

· Home-based care: Recruit and train volunteers to provide home-based care. Secure supplemental food rations as needed. Assure a link between home-based care and clinical services.

· Palliative care: Assist people with advanced HIV infection/AIDS-related illnesses to be as comfortable as possible. Support hygiene, address fever, itching, diarrhea, cough and, especially, symptomatic relief of pain.

· Encourage and support the development and training of self-help and other communitybased groups to meet the medical, social and emotional needs of people affected by HIV/AIDS, their families and caregivers. Influential individuals, such as teachers, health care providers and community and religious leaders, should be engaged in creating a positive and caring environment for people living with HIV/AIDS and their families.

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UNAIDS

Establish support mechanisms for caregivers. Ensure care and support are shared by as many people as possible.

Address the needs of AIDS orphans and other children affected by HIV/AIDS. Unaccompanied children, left behind because of the conflict or AIDS, are especially vulnerable to HIV and need to be given protection from violence, support and access to services available to other children in the camps, including shelter, food and education.