HIV treatment has shrunk the number of HIV-related infections and cancers among positive kids, but they do still occur. So in 2009, for the first time in five years, the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated the recommendations for preventing and treating such complications in HIV-positive children.

Now, for example, the guidelines say that once kids born with the virus have responded to HIV meds, they can stop taking drugs for some other infections. Before, it was recommended that kids stay on those extra drugs for life, to prevent a return of conditions such as pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP). Now, an effective HIV combo can protect against those infections.

The new guidelines also offer details on when to start taking meds, possible drug interactions and vaccinations. The revised “Guidelines for Prevention and Treatment of Opportunistic Infections Among HIV-Exposed and HIV-Infected Children” is available by contacting AIDSinfo at aidsinfo.nih.gov, 800.448.0440 or P.O. Box 6303, Rockville, MD 20849.