WHO issues guidelines on couples HIV testing and counselling

18 April 2012 -- New WHO guidelines recommend offering HIV testing and counselling to couples, wherever HIV testing and counselling is available, including in antenatal clinics. For couples where only one partner is HIV positive, the guidelines recommend offering antiretroviral therapy to the HIV positive partner, regardless of his/her own immune status (CD4 count), to reduce the likelihood of HIV transmission to the HIV negative partner.

3 April 2012 -- WHO issues a new summary providing a current perspective to countries and partners on the use of antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants.

This programmatic update on the 2010 WHO PMTCT ARV guidelines outlines the benefits of the currently recommended Option B approach and the advantages of the newly emerging Option B+ approach of starting all HIV-infected pregnant women on lifelong treatment. WHO has begun a comprehensive revision of all ARV guidelines, including guidance on ARVs for pregnant women, planned for release in 2013.