Conferences

AIDS 2010

NAM was the official online partner for scientific reporting at 18th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010), which took place in Vienna, Austria, 18th-23rd July 2010, with more than 20,000 delegates attending.
Epidemiology

No retreat from AIDS funding, XVIII AIDS conference demands

Treatment guidelines

5.2 million now on ART — and more to come; WHO officially releases 2010 HIV treatment guidelines

HIV & criminal law

Three tactics to stem the tide of criminal prosecutions

Harm reduction

Less than 10% of East European prevention spending is for vulnerable groups

People who inject drugs

New studies strengthen evidence that drug addiction is a disease of the brain; substitution therapy necessary

People who inject drugs

Evidence-based treatment of drug users needed to strengthen human rights, stem drug use, and halt the HIV epidemic

Epidemiology

'The business of public health': new research on financing of HIV programmes

HIV testing policies & guidelines

Mass testing campaign unjustified if people fail to receive treatment, activist argues

New & experimental HIV treatments

Good results seen with NRTI-sparing regimens of atazanavir plus newer drug classes

Neurological & cognitive problems

Neurocognitive impairment linked to prior low CD4 cell count, even if on current suppressive HIV treatment

Epidemiology & behaviour

Prevention strategies need to target both early and chronic HIV infection

Starting treatment

CASCADE analysis finds antiretroviral treatment benefits are evident below CD4 count of 500, uncertain above this level

Transmission & prevention

Second-ever pre-exposure prophylaxis study reports no safety concerns and promising result

Epidemiology & behaviour

UK: one in six gay men testing HIV-positive were infected recently

Prisoners

Penal reform, decriminalisation of illicit drugs, and increased advocacy all central to improving prisoners' health

TB treatment

Starting ART two weeks after TB treatment reduces death risk by one-third in people with HIV

New & experimental HIV treatments

Once-daily extended-release nevirapine works as well as twice-daily formulation

New & experimental HIV treatments

Experimental integrase inhibitor GSK-572 shows continued promise

Human rights

Ugandan study shows why human rights are central to HIV prevention with African men who have sex with men

HIV treatment for children & young people

Early treatment for infants cheaper than delaying treatment, CHER study shows

HIV treatment

Rilpivirine (TMC278) matches efavirenz in phase 3 studies, with fewer side-effects

Hepatitis C transmission & prevention

Hepatitis C epidemic in HIV-positive gay men in Netherlands seems to have levelled off

Behaviour change interventions

Incentives and phone follow-up could improve healthy behaviour by young people: more research needed

Activism & civil society

The future of AIDS activism: looking for sustained energy and new tactics 10 years after Durban

Hepatitis C symptoms & diagnosis

People with HIV/hepatitis C co-infection more likely to develop osteoporosis

Epidemiology & behaviour

Immigrants are more risk of HIV in their host country than back at home

Pregnancy and vertical transmission

Malawi plans 'test and treat' approach for pregnant women to cut mother-to-child HIV transmission

Changing treatment

Protease inhibitor to raltegravir switch maintains viral suppression, but NRTI resistance lowers efficacy

Vaginal rings & topical PrEP

Microbicides – where next?

Pregnancy, children & young people

Low birth weight seen in small minority of infants exposed to some antiretroviral drugs

PrEP science

Microbicides and circumcision could achieve modest cuts in HIV infections in Africa

Epidemiology & behaviour

High HIV incidence for Thai men who have sex with men; many acquiring HIV in their early twenties

Undetectable viral load & treatment as prevention

Indirect evidence that treatment is bringing down HIV transmission in Denmark

PrEP policies & guidelines

Bill Gates maps the way to more effective HIV prevention

Transmission & prevention

Tenofovir microbicide halves genital herpes infections and appears safe

HIV treatment for children & young people

Children doing just as well as adults on HIV treatment in southern Africa

Circumcision

Rolling out male circumcision requires community engagement, task shifting and streamlined procedures

Health problems in children & young people

Children with HIV are at risk for metabolic problems and heart muscle dysfunction

Hepatitis C treatment

Does nevirapine improve hepatitis C treatment outcomes in HIV/HCV co-infected individuals?

Migrants, refugees & displaced people

Deportations of people with HIV widespread; activists' tactics differ

New & experimental HIV treatments

TBR-652 blocks both CCR5 and CCR2, inhibiting HIV replication and reducing inflammation

Diagnosing infants & children

Without improved infant HIV diagnosis, early treatment recommendation may have limited impact

Epidemiology

Universal access to HIV treatment threatened by failure of will

Vaginal rings & topical PrEP

Microbicides can work, CAPRISA trial shows, but more trials needed before approval

Support issues for children & young people

Adolescents living with HIV face complex psychosocial concerns: require targeted, comprehensive services

Starting treatment

Lopinavir/ritonavir plus raltegravir NRTI-sparing regimen as effective as traditional HAART

Pregnancy, children & young people

Child mortality falls after mothers receive HIV drugs

Treatment outcomes & life expectancy

Large-scale impact of ART on mortality in Brazil, South Africa: big successes but mind the gaps

TB transmission & prevention

Requiring tuberculin skin tests before implementing IPT leads to avoidable and substantial number of TB cases

Epidemiology & behaviour

HIV infections soar amongst Eastern European 'street youth'

Epidemiology

Newer HIV drugs cost-effective for Africa

Epidemiology

‘Big gap’ in contributions to the Global Fund

HIV treatment for children & young people

Success of treatment in children varies across low- and middle-income countries

Child developmental issues

Child development affected by late treatment start in resource-limited settings

Vaginal rings & topical PrEP

Tenofovir-based microbicide gel reduces risk of infection for women by 39%

Epidemiology

Clinton: it's the 'end of the beginning' of the AIDS epidemic

The search for a cure

Cure for HIV infection must now be major scientific priority, Vienna AIDS conference hears

Men who have sex with men (MSM)

Providing prevention for men who have sex with men could significantly reduce HIV infections in many countries

HIV & criminal law

North America and Western Europe lead the world in criminalising HIV transmission and exposure

Pregnancy and vertical transmission

Half of HIV-exposed children in Africa not receiving drug to prevent infection

Men who have sex with men (MSM)

Internet proving a key way to reach men who have sex with men in Africa, Asia and beyond