Infectious diseases claim the lives of millions each year. HIV-infected people have compromised immune systems and are at a much greater risk for serious repercussions from common illnesses and opportunistic infections. Preventive-care interventions can reduce the risk of diarrhoea and malaria amongst other diseases, which can complicate or threaten the lives of these vulnerable people.

The World Health Organisation recommends that people living with HIV in resource limited settings should have access to essential interventions to prevent illness and HIV transmission. They should also benefit from HIV prevention and care, including a core set of effective interventions that are simple, relatively inexpensive, can improve the quality of life, prevent further transmission of HIV, and for some interventions, delay progression of HIV disease.

Vestergaard Frandsen has developed a CarePack™, which is comprised of evidence-based interventions designed to improve the health of HIV-infected individuals and their families. These preventive-care interventions are designed to be user-friendly and self-managed, thus empowering immunocompromised HIV-infected people to protect themselves from acquiring opportunistic infections.

A standard CarePack™ includes a long-lasting insecticidal net (LN) that can prevent malaria and other vector-borne diseases; an instant microbiological water purifier that can avert diarrhoeal diseases and printed education material providing tips on prevention of malaria, diarrhoea and sexually-transmitted diseases. Condoms for practicing safe sex and a broad-spectrum antibiotic may also be added in the CarePack™ depending on country regulations/ programme requirements. Other items as per country requirements may be considered on a case-to-case basis.

Repeat intervention is an impediment in the rapid scale-up and success of a public health programme. Therefore, the standard components of CarePack™ have been designed to be long-lasting in nature and are expected to last for a minimum of three years.

When used appropriately, CarePack™ helps maintain the health of HIV-infected people. Therefore, it has the potential to delay the progression of HIV to AIDS. It can benefit all people living with HIV, whether or not they are on antiretroviral therapy (ART), as well as their family members.