WHO guidelines on the management of advanced HIV disease

Overview

Advanced HIV disease is the major cause of AIDS-related deaths among people living with HIV. In 2017, WHO recommended a package of care that should be provided to everyone with advanced HIV disease to help to reduce mortality and morbidity, along with rapid initiation of antiretroviral therapy.

These 2025 guidelines respond to the need for better approaches to identify advanced HIV disease, improve the poor outcomes of people living with HIV being discharged from hospital and provide updated guidance for treatment for Kaposi’s sarcoma through evidence-informed recommendations. The publication contains recommendations that are from previously published WHO guidelines documents on advanced HIV disease and introduces new recommendations that were developed in 2025.