South African AIDS Conference

SA AIDS is a biannual meeting, serving as the primary opportunity to discuss progress and success—as well as challenges—in addressing the country’s epidemic. This year’s conference theme was Building on Successes: Integrating Systems. The conference hoped to provide a critical venue to discuss the status of biomedical research, as well as the progress of moving key interventions such as treatment as prevention and voluntary medical male circumcision to wider scale implementation.

AVAC and many of its partners participated at the conference. There are several ways you can link in to HIV prevention research and roll-out related events—both in-person and from afar:

SA AIDS 2013 HIV PREVENTION RESEARCH ROADMAP

There were a wide range of great sessions planned for SA AIDS 2013 (full program available here), and we pulled together a roadmap of select sessions that may have been of interest to those tracking biomedical prevention research and roll-out:

Tuesday, June 18

• Film Screening: How to Survive a Plague – 18.00-20.30, Hall 4. Panel discussion and Q&A to follow. Panelists: Mia Malan, Mediator, Editor, Health Mail and Guardian; Francois Venter, HIV Physician and Advocate; Glenda Gray, Leading SA HIV Researcher; Larry Corey, HVTN; Ms. Nthlotheng Mabena, CHAPS

Wednesday, June 19

• Satellite: Vision of the HVTN/South African HIV Prevention Vaccine Opportunities – hosted by HVTN, 7.30-8.30, Hall 6

• Satellite: Voluntary medical male circumcision (VMMC): Updates and best practices – hosted by PEPFAR, 11.30-13.00, Hall 5

• Symposium: The use of contraception in the context of the HIV epidemic – convened by Prof. Helen Rees, WrHI, 11.30-13.00, Hall 8

• Symposium: The immunisation programme and use of vaccines in the HIV epidemic context – convened by Prof. Helen Rees, WrHI, 14.00-15.30, Hall 2

• Satellite: South Africa national perspectives on delivering comprehensive combination HIV prevention – hosted by Futures Group, 14.00-15.30, Hall 6

• Symposium: Linking HIV prevention research in South Africa to the realities of women’s lives – co-hosts WrHI & AVAC, 18.00-20.00, Hall 8

• Satellite: Strategic use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) for HIV prevention and treatment – hosted by WHO, 16.00-17.30, Hall 8

• Basic Science Session: HIV: The Mutating Target – 16.00-17.30, Hall 6; including presentation “HVTN503/Phambili Phase 2b Vaccine Trial”

Thursday, June 20

• Basic Science Session: Neutralising antibodies: Homing in on the target – 11.30-13.00, Hall 6

• Symposium: What non-biomedical interventions must be prioritised in combination prevention? – 11.30-13.00, Hall 8

• AVAC Advocacy Fellowship Information Session – 13.00, IAVI and partner booth #57 (Download Flyer)

• Symposium: HIV vaccine and cure: What are the next big questions? – 14.00-15.30, Hall 3

• Community Exchange Encounters Session: Role of social media in HIV and AIDS response – 16.00-17.30, Hall 2; including presentation “New media for stakeholder outreach and community engagement in HIV prevention research”

• Epidemiology/Prevention Session: Biomedical prevention: PMTCT and MMC – 16.00-17.30, Hall 3

Friday, June 21

• Plenary 4, including talks “Zero Vertical Transmissions” by Prof. James McIntyre and “Zero New Infections: A Myth or Reality” by Dr. Gita Ramjee – 9.00-11.00, Hall 1