A new WHO Academy course on the Management of cryptococcal disease in people living with HIV provides learners with the knowledge they need to give high quality care to people with cryptococcal meningitis.
Upon completion of the course, learners will be able to:
- describe the recommendations in the WHO guidelines for screening, diagnosis, treatment of cryptococcal meningitis;
- competently prescribe all medicines needed for treating cryptococcal meningitis;
- explain how to reconstitute and administer liposomal amphotericin B medicines; and
- discuss the actions you should take in clinical scenarios where people have complications of cryptococcal meningitis or treatment toxicity.
Cryptococcal disease is one of the most important opportunistic infections among people living with advanced HIV disease and is a major contributor to illness, disability and mortality, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa.
In 2022, WHO strongly recommended a single high dose of liposomal amphotericin B as part of the preferred induction regimen for the treatment of cryptococcal meningitis in people living with HIV.
This new recommendation was made following the results of a multicenter randomized controlled trial showing that a simplified regimen with a single high dose of liposomal amphotericin B paired with other standard medicines (flucytosine and fluconazole) is as effective as the previous WHO standard of care, with the benefits of lower toxicity and fewer monitoring demands. The single high dose containing regimen was also preferred by health-care providers because it took less time to prepare, required less monitoring, and may shorten a patient's length of hospital stay.
It is therefore critical to support health workers understand how to manage cryptococcal disease in a variety of settings and understand the key challenges, diagnostics and therapeutics.
The course will also offer self-evaluations, and upon completion, learners will be awarded a certificate of completion.
