AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, September 13, 2004
Staff Medical Writers

"The European Commission funded a project for the standardization of the management of occupational exposures to HIV/blood-borne infections and antiretroviral post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) in Europe. Within this project, the following recommendations and rationale were formulated by experts representative of participating countries," scientists writing in the European Journal of Epidemiology report.

"Based on assessment of the exposure, material, and source characteristics, PEP should be started as soon as possible with any triple combination of antiretrovirals approved for the treatment of HIV-infected patients; initiation is discouraged after 72 hours," wrote V. Puro and coworkers.

"Rapid HIV testing of the source could reduce inappropriate PEP. HIV testing should be performed at baseline, 4, 12, and 24 weeks," the authors said, "with additional clinical and laboratory monitoring of adverse reactions and potential toxicity at week 1 and 2.

"HIV resistance tests in the source and direct virus assays in the exposed health care worker are not recommended routinely."

Puro concluded, "These easy-to-use recommendations seek to maximize PEP effect while minimizing its toxicity and inappropriate use."

Puro and colleagues published their study in European Journal of Epidemiology (Post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection in healthcare workers: Recommendations for the European setting. Eur J Epidemiol. 2004;19(6):577-84.

Additional information can be obtained by contacting V. Puro, IRCCS, Ist Nazl Malattie Infett Lazzaro Spallanzoni, Via Portuense 292, I-00149 Rome, Italy.

The publisher of the European Journal of Epidemiology can be contacted at: Kluwer Academic Publ, Van Godewijckstraat 30, 3311 Gz Dordrecht, Netherlands.

The information in this article comes under the major subject areas of HIV/AIDS, Occupational Exposure, Prophylaxis, Antiretroviral Therapy and Diagnostics.

This article was prepared by AIDS Weekly editors from staff and other reports.

Reference

Puro V, Cicalini S, De Carli G, et. al., "Post-exposure prophylaxis of HIV infection in healthcare workers: recommendations for the European setting", Eur J Epidemiol. 2004;19(6):577-84.

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