At the International AIDS Society Conference, held recently in Melbourne in July 2023, WHO released a policy brief on HIV viral suppression and its role in reducing transmission. This is the first time WHO has very clearly stated that if the viral load is undetectable, the risk of sexual transmission is zero.

We break down this brief and its findings. We discuss their wider implications for HIV messaging and policymaking.

#hiv #ias2023 #sayzero #WHO #hivawareness
https://nivarana.org/2023/08/10/hiv-transmission-who-update/

I wrote a wrap post with highlights from the #IAS2023 scientific conference on HIV/AIDS in Brisbane last week. https://badblood.blog/highlights-of-the-international-aids-society-conference-in-brisbane-2023/

My colleagues captured my name up in lights at the reportback session for the recent #IAS2023 conference in Brisbane 😜

“These encouraging findings from inner city #Sydney show just how far we have come since the early days of the #AIDS pandemic before we had effective testing, treatment or prevention tools"

- IAS President @ProfSharonLewin
#IAS2023 #HIV

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/australia-hiv-elimination-dramatic-fall-in-infections/

Dr Cathy Dodds observes the #IAS2023 conference includes a session on decolonisation of HIV research and responses, but none of the presenters could afford to attend in-person, so it's 100% pre-recorded presentations with no Q&A — no space for the critical participatory reflection that is essential for decolonial work.

I've just heard community engagement described as precision public health. I mean, it's not /not/ precise... but it's not in any sense the shiny new thing that PPH represents... #IAS2023 #IHCVHEC23

Friends, I'm attending the International AIDS Society scientific conference from tomorrow until Wed next week. I will be tooting A LOT about HIV science, so if that's not your bag, please feel free to mute the hashtag #IAS2023.

Also, if you're not aware, I'm a fully paid-up HIV educator and I love nothing more than helping people understand the science and the social and cultural practices that enact it. So please feel welcome to ping questions my way — nothing is too basic!

Ooh! The state/territory data collection of data on trans HIV rates now asks the two-step question — sex assigned at birth and current gender identity — which will lead to much better estimates of HIV cases among trans people.

Or it will as soon as Dr McGregor stops combining all the trans genders into a single 'trans' line on the graph. *cough*

#IAS2023 #HIV

Health inequity ahoy... 33% decrease in HIV among overseas-born vs 55% decrease among Australian-born gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (GBM). #IAS2023 #HIV

Doherty says the HIV drug 'pipeline' is looking brittle, with problems emerging with both lenacapravir and elsatravir. #IAS2023 #HIV

Meg Doherty reckons it was behaviour change that led to arresting the Mpox epidemic, first and foremost. Followed by natural immunity post-infex (presumably in a core group) and finally vaccination. Image shows a table of results from a survey (n=1,600) showing high willingness to change sexual behaviour to avoid Mpox. #IAS2023 #HIV

Doherty also presents this astonishing graph showing country-level uptake of DTG led to sometimes quite dramatic increases in % of patients with suppressed viral load. #IAS2023 #HIV

Meg Doherty from WHO reports there are still countries with little or no access to viral load testing — essential for monitoring effective HIV treatment. #IAS2023 #HIV