HIV/AIDS: A Guide for Nutritional Care and Support

The second edition of the Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) publication, HIV/AIDS: A Guide For Nutritional Care and Support1 , is now available, made possible through the support of the FANTA Project by the Office of Health, Infectious Disease and Nutrition and the Office of HIV/AIDS of the Bureau for Global Health at the US Agency for International Development.

This guide provides information for HIV/AIDS affected households and communities on how nutrition can help HIV-positive people live healthier lives throughout the progression of HIV disease. The guide is an interpretation of the best available evidence to date from multiple sources, especially the World Health Organisation (WHO) and a broad range of experts. This guide was extensively revised from its earlier version and was peer reviewed.

The purpose of this guide is to assist programme managers and health workers make recommendations on food management and nutritional issues for households with members who are HIVinfected or living with AIDS, and for individuals, families, and communities affected by HIV. Food and nutrition recommendations are for both adults and children and emphasise the use of locally available food products, complemented by appropriate foods obtained through external donation programmes.

This guide is targeted primarily at four types of audience:

1. Programme managers and technical staff who work in food aid, food security, health, and nutrition programmes in HIV-affected areas
2. Local health workers in areas affected by HIV/AIDS
3. Community-based organisations working in high prevalence HIV/AIDS areas
4. Institutions caring for PLWHAs or orphans and other vulnerable children infected or affected by HIV/AIDS.

Six chapters deal with thematic issues related to HIV/AIDS, which are:

• Nutrition and HIV/AIDS: Basic Facts
• Managing HIV Disease Through Nutrition Interventions
• Nutritional Issues Associated With Modern and Traditional Therapies
• Nutritional Care and Support for Pregnant and Lactating Women and Adolescent Girls
• Nutrition and Care Recommendations for Infants and Children
• A Food-based Approach to Support HIV/AIDS-affected Households and Communities

Copies of the guide can be obtained from: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance (FANTA) Project, Academy for Educational Development, 1875 Connecticut Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20009-5721. Tel: 202-884-8000 Fax: 202-884-8432 Email: fanta@aed.org. The guide is also available online, http://www.fantaproject.org

¹HIV/AIDS: A Guide For Nutritional Care and Support. 2nd Edition. Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project, Academy for Educational Development, Washington DC, 2004. Published October 2004