We have reached the final day of AIDS 2024! A full programme of community-led innovations and interventions and the latest science leads up to the rapporteur report back and closing sessions.
08:30 CEST Start your day at the plenary, “Preparing for the future”. It includes presentations on HIV transcription to achieve remission, use of new technologies for HIV, and bridging research and policy with a look at the economic impact of the HIV response. The session closes with the presentation of the JIAS Impact Awards. 10:00 CEST A workshop unpacks clinical and counselling skills to support introduction of long-acting injectable cabotegravir as an additional HIV prevention option. Another highlights the importance of community-led monitoring in enhancing HIV service quality and fostering human rights and equality.
10:30 CEST “How do communities respond in the face of criminalization?” That question is the title of a symposium that details why criminalization does more harm than good and what criminalized communities and others do to influence policy and legal change and claim their rights. It builds on case studies from eastern Europe, Africa and Asia. An oral abstract session explores the kaleidoscope of experiences of people living with HIV, from social support to boost adherence and viral suppression for older adults in Uganda to understanding acceptability of long-acting injectable ART among adolescents in South Africa. 13:30 CEST The last symposium of AIDS 2024 explores the lived experience and data supporting the intersectionality of HIV and mental health, gaps in epidemiological and monitoring data, the integration of mental health services into clinical care, and community-level interventions to improve mental health outcomes. Oral abstract sessions include: - “An INSTIgrated tale” reports on dolutegravir (DTG) scale up and HIV-1 treatment outcomes in Uganda and viral suppression, viral failure and safety outcomes in children and adolescents on DTG in Europe and Thailand.
- How can we track whether the International AIDS Conference represents the issues that women and trans people living with HIV care about? That’s presented in “Removing legal, policy and human rights barriers for children and young people”.
- “New strategies for optimizing person-centred care” looks at client experiences of and preferences for HIV care delivery during the first six months on ART in South Africa, findings from an assessment of aligning key population HIV prevention service preferences and coverage in Vietnam, and more.
- “Care for the whole person: Co-infections and co-morbidities” includes abstracts on unmet need for HPV vaccination among men who have sex with men living with and without HIV in San Francisco and transforming cervical cancer screening for women living with HIV using a digital health application in Tanzania.
14:45 CEST Lead rapporteurs report back on conference highlights across all topics, including issues addressed, results presented and recommendations made. 16:00 CEST The AIDS 2024 closing session starts with remarks from AIDS 2024 Regional Co-Chair Andriy Klepikov and Local Co-Chair Christoph Spinner, followed by a community address by Anton Basenko from the International Network of People who Use Drugs. US Congresswoman Barbara Lee becomes the inaugural recipient of the Barbara Lee Political Leadership Award; she then presents the award to former German Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health and President of the German Bundestag, Rita Süssmuth. IAS Executive Director Birgit Poniatowski and outgoing IAS President, AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair Sharon Lewin, welcome the new President of the IAS, Beatriz Grinsztejn. AIDS 2024 signs off with a musical performance by South African band Congo Cowboys. Prevention: WHO has recommended long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for use as PrEP since 2022. The HPTN 084 trial demonstrated that CAB-LA significantly reduced HIV acquisition compared with daily oral TDF/FTC in individuals born female. However, data on its use by pregnant and lactating people, historically excluded from trials of novel antiretrovirals, have been limited. The ongoing HPTN 084 open-label extension trial, with 2,472 participants in several southern African countries, shows that CAB-LA is well tolerated in pregnant women. A vertical transmission success story: Vertical transmission of HIV is about 2.5 times more likely if a pregnant woman has both HIV and syphilis. In Liberia, less than 8% of all pregnant women had been tested for syphilis, although over 95% attend at least one antenatal care visit. In September 2021, the National AIDS and STI Control Program began to scale up dual tests in 67 facilities across Liberia. Introduction of dual testing increased syphilis screening by nearly 10 times (77% of women were screened), almost mirroring HIV testing (80%). The implementers say that high screening rates paired with high treatment rates improve overall point-of-care services and health outcomes for pregnant women and their unborn children in a cost-effective and sustainable manner. Simplifying treatment: The combination of bictegravir (BIC), an integrase strand transfer inhibitor, and lenacapavir (LEN), a first-in-class capsid inhibitor, could consolidate treatment in virologically suppressed people with HIV-1 who are otherwise unable to follow a single-tablet regimen. Data up to Week 48 of the Phase 2 ARTISTRY-1 study show that BIC + LEN was generally well tolerated. Median age of participants was 60 years: 19% were female, 31% were Black and 16% were Hispanic/Latinx. The researchers say that findings support continued evaluation of BIC + LEN to simplify treatment in virally suppressed people living with HIV who are on complex regimens. Climate change: A study on the impact of climate-induced migration on vulnerability to HIV on the African continent shows that regions experiencing stressors such as droughts and floods often witness increased migration. Socioeconomic factors, such as access to healthcare and HIV prevention resources, play a crucial role in shaping the overall HIV prevalence and vulnerability landscape for migrants. The researchers synthesized findings from epidemiological studies, migration reports and public health databases, and pointed to the urgent need for more targeted research on the link between climate-induced migration and HIV vulnerability in Africa. This study was one of four presented in the session, “Climates’ double burden: Tackling HIV most-affected regions”. Conflict: Russia’s war in Ukraine has increased the likelihood of opioid agonist treatment (OAT) discontinuation for internally displaced people and those living in conflict zones, undermining HIV prevention efforts among people who inject drugs. This is according to a two-year comparative cohort survival analysis using Ukraine's national OAT registry from 252 clinics across 25 regions. Criminalization: The passing of laws that criminalize LBGTQ relationships in some African countries have worsened the challenges of key populations in accessing HIV services. How are communities coping? In Uganda, where HIV prevalence among adults reduced from 18% in 1992 to 5.2% in 2020, the Anti-Homosexuality Act threatens progress and communities have seen a surge in discrimination, violence, arrests, “mob justice”, and service providers fearing to treat LGBTQ people. A response team (formed by government and other agencies) coordinated efforts to address the effects of the law on LGBTQ people; service providers were trained in maintaining LGBTQ-friendly services; and key population peers were supported to conduct client follow up, refills and linkages. In Ghana, where its Parliament approved anti-gay legislation, health workers are using integrated, community-based strategies to maintain access of men who have sex with men to HIV services. This includes peer educators pivoting from group outreach to engaging one on one to reduce public visibility; shifting testing and treatment to homes and safe locations identified by peers; and promoting multi-month dispensing of ART and PrEP to eliminate clinic visits. As the Ghana researchers say, the influence of the legislation on HIV programming is enormous and they call for high-level stakeholder advocacy on its effects. Listen to the latest episode of HIV unmuted, the award-winning IAS podcast, on the game-changing research from AIDS 2024. Sharon Lewin, the IAS President and AIDS 2024 International Co-Chair, sits down with our new host, Juan Michael Porter II. They delve into a broad range of exciting science, from long-acting injectables to new research on doxycycline prophylaxis to advances in cure research, including the “next Berlin Patient”. The rapporteur summaries are your go-to resources for the highlights presented at AIDS 2024. Thanks to the AIDS 2024 team of experts, delegates can access daily recaps by each programme track here. Join the AIDS 2024 Live Show daily from 22 to 26 July to learn about the latest conference developments and what lies ahead! Host Karl Schmid will be joined by leading voices in the HIV response. Today's scheduled guests include: - Anne Aslett, Elton John Foundation
- Francisco Ruiz, White House Office of National AIDS Policy
- Monica Gandhi, University of California San Francisco
Meet the IAS change makers Each day, the Daily Digest follows the IAS change makers at AIDS 2024: recipients of our grant, fellowship or mentorship opportunities. They are the next generation of HIV researchers, advocates and healthcare providers improving the lives of people living with and affected by HIV.
Today’s change maker is Bruce Wembulua Shinga, a research physician affiliated with the Service des Maladies Infectieuses et Tropicales (SMIT), Fann University Hospital in Senegal. Bruce was a Mark Wainberg Fellow in 2021-2023. At AIDS 2024, he is presenting “Changes in early HIV/AIDS mortality rate in people starting antiretroviral treatment between 2013 and 2023: a multicenter survival study in Senegal” in the session, “The long and winding road: Trends in HIV diagnosis, treatment and mortality”, at 10:30 CEST today. |
