EGPAF at 9th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment & Prevention

The Ninth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention (IAS 2017) begins July 23, 2017 in Paris, France. This biennial gathering is the largest open scientific conference on HIV and AIDS related issues – bringing together more than 6,000 professionals from around the world to meet and examine the latest scientific developments in HIV-related research with a focus on moving science into practice and policy.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) will be in attendance, with a delegation of 25, to learn and share at this year’s event. We will present three oral abstract sessions, 10 poster presentations, and host two satellite events. All of our sessions will focus on innovation in and expansion of HIV prevention, care, and treatment among children, adolescents, women, and families. We will also host a booth in the Exhibition Center of this year’s venue; all are welcome to stop in and learn more about our work.

EGPAF-Hosted Satellite Sessions

Nonstop Journey; Delivering an Uninterrupted Continuum of HIV Services to the Adolescents and Youth (this event will be held on Sunday, July 23, from 2:45 – 4:45 pm in the Havana Amphitheater): The goal of this satellite is to raise awareness and facilitate discourse around adolescent-specific needs within a comprehensive HIV/AIDS care and treatment package. Experts from EGPAF, the CDC, the Adolescent HIV Treatment Coalition, International AIDS Society and adolescent and youth advocates will review successes and challenges in testing, linkage to and retention in care and treatment.

Bringing the Test to the Patient: Results from the Early Routine Use of Point-of-Care HIV Testing in Resource-Limited Settings (this event will be held on Tuesday, July 25, from 6:30 – 8:30 pm in Room 242): Ministries of health, along with partners, have begun to implement routine point-of-care, rapid HIV infant testing. This satellite session, co-organized by EGPAF, CHAI, UNICEF, and ASLM, with funding from Unitaid, will feature presentations by ministry of health officials and partners on point-of-care testing deployment strategies, multiplexed testing devices to maximize throughput, implementing routine rapid testing to enhance early infant diagnosis, and the use of connectivity for remote monitoring of decentralized testing networks. 

EGPAF’s Abstract-Driven Sessions

• “Trends in Pediatric HIV Testing Across Six African Countries”
• “The Clinical Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Incorporating Point-of-Care Assays into Early Infant HIV Diagnosis Programs at Six Weeks of Age in Zimbabwe”

Both of these presentations will be given at the Case for Kids session on Wednesday, July 26, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm in the Maillot Room.

• “A Community-Based, Household Survey to Determine Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission Rates and HIV-free Survival in Swaziland”

This presentation will be given at the PMTCT: We Must Do Better session (EGPAF’s Dr. Laura Guay will co-chair this session) on Wednesday, July 26 from 2:30 – 4:00 pm in the Maillot Room.

EGPAF will also present 10 posters, featuring lessons learned and best practices from EGPAF-supported countries in subjects including preventing loss to follow-up, quality improvement, and early infant diagnosis.

For more details on each or our sessions and for information on our pre-conference events, visit our IAS 2017 webpage and make sure to check out EGPAF on Twitter & Instagram for exciting news and updates from the conference throughout the week.