Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS, STDs & STIs

AboutConference

The 12^th World Congress on Control and Prevention of HIV/AIDS, STDs & STIs, held in London, UK, from October 17-18, 2024, is a premier event bringing together global experts to discuss the latest advancements, challenges, and strategies in these critical public health issues. Attendees will engage in thought-provoking discussions, share best practices, and collaborate on innovative solutions to improve prevention, diagnosis, and management of these conditions.

The STD-HIV AIDS-2024 Conference brings together more than 1,200 public health professionals for the latest information on STD science, program, and policy. Join international leading researchment experts, clinical STD care providers, and state and local public health administrators for two days of cutting-hers with goveedge plenary sessions, debates, and symposia that are sure to enlighten, challenge, and inspire how STD prevention and control is approached.

Why to Attend?

Experience 24-hour access to breaking science like never before. Not only will STD-HIV AIDS-2024: Showcase the latest developments in HIV research, the conference will present brand-new data on COVID-19 and HIV, showcasing how HIV informs and intersects with the COVID-19 pandemic. From the latest advances in basic, clinical and prevention research to innovations in social sciences and new insights into effective programme roll out, access the science first and be a part of accelerating progress in the HIV response.

Whether you are a presenter, activist, scholarship recipient, young researcher or an exhibitor, pre-conference, satellite, or workshop organizer, STD-HIV AIDS-2024: Virtual gives you an innovative and interactive global platform to influence discussions on HIV science, research and policy. STD-HIV AIDS-2024: will bring delegates from around the world together, connecting to advance the HIV response.

Target Audience:

• Physicians
• Virologists
• STD-AIDS associations and societies
• Advance practitioners
• Physician assistants
• Nurses
• Pharmacists
• Social workers
• Case managers
• Dentists who provide care to individuals with HIV infection
• Primary care providers
• HIV or infectious disease specialists
• Clinical trainees
• Infectious Diseases Researchers
• Viral Diseases Researchers

HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus that attacks cells that help the body fight infection, making a person more vulnerable to other infections and diseases. It is spread by contact with certain bodily fluids of a person with HIV, most commonly during unprotected sex (sex without a condom or HIV medicine to prevent or treat HIV), or through sharing injection drug equipment.

AIDS is the late stage of HIV infection that occurs when the body’s immune system is badly damaged because of the virus.

A person with HIV is considered to have progressed to AIDS when: the number of their CD4 cells falls below 200 cells per cubic millimetre of blood (200 cells/mm3). (In someone with a healthy immune system, CD4 counts are between 500 and 1,600 cells/mm3.) OR they develop one or more opportunistic infections regardless of their CD4 count.

Without HIV medicine, people with AIDS typically survive about 3 years. Once someone has a dangerous opportunistic illness, life expectancy without treatment falls to about 1 year. HIV medicine can still help people at this stage of HIV infection, and it can even be lifesaving. But people who start ART soon after they get HIV experience more benefits that’s why HIV testing is so important.

STDs are sexually transmitted diseases. This means they are most often but not exclusively spread by sexual intercourse. HIV, chlamydia, genital herpes, genital warts, gonorrhea, some forms of hepatitis, syphilis, and trichomoniasis are STDs.

For Scientific Sessions please go through the link: https://globalhiv-aids-std.infectiousconferences.com/call-for-abstracts.php

For Abstract Submission please go through the link: https://globalhiv-aids-std.infectiousconferences.com/abstract-submission.php

Sessions & Tracks

Track-1: Transmission and Prevention

Transmission mainly through various bodily fluids, such as vaginal secretions, semen, saliva, and blood, contain the bacteria or viruses involved. In some cases, a person can contract an STI by coming into direct contact with fluid that contains the bacteria or virus. To avoid contact with this fluid during oral, anal, or vaginal sex, use condoms or dental dams.

Using a condom correctly every time you have sex can help you avoid STDs. Condoms lessen the risk of infection for all STDs. You still can get certain STDs, like herpes or HPV, from contact with your partner's skin even when using a condom.

Track-2: Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) are very common among people who are sexually active. Anyone who has sex is at risk, including people with HIV, STIs are also commonly referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

Track-3: Public Health

Public health professionals try to prevent problems from happening or recurring through implementing educational programs, recommending policies, administering services, and conducting research—in contrast to clinical professionals like doctors and nurses, who focus primarily on treating individuals after they become sick or injured. Public health also works to limit health disparities. A large part of public health is promoting health care equity, quality, and accessibility.

Track-4: Pediatric HIV

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is the virus that is responsible for causing Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The virus destroys or impairs cells of the immune system and progressively destroys the body's ability to fight infections and certain cancers. In adults and adolescents, HIV is most commonly spread by sexual contact with an infected partner. In most of the countries nearly all HIV infections in children under the age of 13 are from vertical transmission, which means the virus is passed to the child when they are in their mother's womb or as they pass through the birth canal, or through breastfeeding. Before 1985, a small group of children were infected with the virus by contaminated blood products. Routine screening of blood products began in 1985. Not every child born to an HIV-infected mother will acquire the virus conception.

Track-5: Diagnosis and Treatment

Infection with HIV causes an acute but brief and nonspecific influenza-like retroviral syndrome that can include fever, malaise, lymphadenopathy, pharyngitis, arthritis, or skin rash. Most persons experience at least one symptom; however, some might be asymptomatic or have no recognition of illness (406–409). Acute infection transitions to a multiyear, chronic illness that progressively depletes CD4+ T lymphocytes crucial for maintenance of effective immune function. Ultimately, persons with untreated HIV infection experience symptomatic, life-threatening immunodeficiency (i.e., AIDS).

Track-6: Clinical Research and Case Reports

STD’s clinical research help scientists find improved ways to prevent, detect, or treat HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. All the medications used to treat HIV/AIDS in the United States were first studied in clinical trials. HIV/AIDS clinical studies under way include studies of new medicines to inhibit or treat HIV, studies of vaccines to prevent or treat HIV, studies of medicines to treat infections correlated to HIV. Case report is the detailed information of the individual patient containing the symptoms, signs, diagnosis, and treatment and follows up of the patient. It is a demographic profile that usually describes an unusual or novel occurrence.

Track-7: Co-infections Associated with STD

It’s common for people with HIV to have other health issue; some of these issues may be directly related to HIV or its treatment. Others may be completely unrelated.

These health conditions can mean more doctors’ visits, lab tests, and medications to keep up with.

If you have HIV, the best thing you can do to stay healthy is to take HIV medicine (called antiretroviral therapy or ART) exactly as prescribed and get and keep an undetectable viral load a level of HIV in your blood so low that a standard lab test can’t detect it.

Track-8: Sexual Health

Sexual health is fundamental to the overall health and well-being of individuals, couples and families, and to the social and economic development of communities and countries. Sexual health, when viewed affirmatively, requires a positive and respectful approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination, and violence.

Track-9: HIV and Women's Health Issues

Women are disproportionately affected by HIV compared to men, with young women most at risk. In many countries, women experience inequality linked to cultural and social norms and many experience gender-based violence. These factors make women more likely to get HIV.

Track-10: Recent Advancements

Recent developments to prevent the spread of HIV include pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), which is the pre-emptive use of antiretroviral therapy by individuals substantially at risk of contracting the virus. However, researchers are still seeking to develop improved therapies and vaccines to combat the virus.

Track-11: Vaccines and People with HIV

Vaccines play an important role in keeping people healthy. They protect you against serious and sometimes deadly diseases.

Vaccines are especially important for people with chronic health conditions like HIV, which can make it harder to fight off vaccine-preventable diseases like pneumococcal disease or the flu. HIV can also make it more likely that you’ll have serious complications from those diseases, which is why getting recommended vaccines is an important part of your overall HIV medical care. HIV invasion of immune cells

Track-12: How Does COVID-19 Affect People with HIV?

We are still learning about COVID-19 including the Omicron variant—and how it affects people with HIV. This is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation and scientists are learning more every day.Global prevalence of HIV

Track-13: Testing and Health Monitoring

HIV/AIDS testing, monitoring and therapy have come a long way from the days when a diagnosis was a death sentence. Crucial parts of the effective treatment regimens developed in the last 40 years are consistent monitoring of the viral load (the amount of virus in the blood), and the immune cell count, which function as biological markers of the disease’s progression.CD4 count.

Track-14: Alcohol and Drug Use

Alcohol and drug use can be harmful to your health and get out of hand for some people. Modest use of alcohol can help your heart health in some circumstances, but it can also lead to long-term effects that are harmful and reduce your ability to fight off HIV. Different drugs have different effects on the body, and they can affect your judgement, mental health, and physical health differently. The use of illegal drugs presents multiple risks to the health of people living with HIV including harmful effects on the body and the risks associated with injection drug use, and risks associated with sexual transmission of HIV.

Market Analysis

The global testing and treatment targets of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) were not met in 2021 and the world is off-track in its efforts to reach the 2030 95-95-95 goals. For testing, the global target is to ensure that 95% of people with HIV know their status; however, in 2022 only 86% were aware. Testing has a cascading effect on other HIV response targets as it directly affects the number of people who may access treatment and prevention. This is clearly reflected in the data from 2022 which estimates that 76% of people living with HIV were receiving antiretroviral therapy and 71% of people living with HIV had suppressed viral loads.

A newly released report on the integrated HIV Rapid Diagnostic Test (RDT) market has highlighted how market factors can affect availability and access to essential diagnostic services. The report was released shortly after the WHA resolution to strengthen diagnostic capacity, which calls for the WHO to collect data on affordability, availability and access to essential diagnostics, and seeks to answer the question: From a market perspective, what could get in the way of achieving global HIV testing targets? The report provides a common understanding of forces impacting the HIV RDT market, visibility around key market challenges, and potential ways to address those challenges.

It is an opportune time to consider the HIV RDT market holistically given that the HIV epidemic is evolving and new products like dual HIV/syphilis RDTs (dual tests), and HIV self-tests (HIVST) are being widely scaled up. For the first time, this report takes an integrated approach across 3 market segments and models how potential changes in the provision of HIV testing services may impact the market and the future availability of HIV testing.

The 4 product mix scenarios modeled considerable variation in the volumes of each test type to be procured by low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) over the next 5 years within the context of continuing demand and sustained market growth. Across the 4 scenarios, HIV RDT volumes range from 592m to 838m, dual HIV/syphilis test volumes range from 154 to 197m and HIVST volumes range from 133m to 283m over the projected time period of 2022–2027.

A diverse group of global health stakeholders provided input into the report and forecast via a technical working group and from the joint WHO/UNAIDS Annual Health Commodity Forecasting meeting. “Against the backdrop of competing priorities, funding for testing in many settings has declined. We know that without testing we cannot treat and prevent infections, achieve global goals, sustain low HIV incidence, and save lives. This report offers a timely and comprehensive analysis of opportunities that can increase efficiencies in the RDT market,” said Dr Meg Doherty, Director, Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes.

Key characteristics and challenges in the HIV professional RDT (i.e. HIV-only professional use RDTs and dual HIV/syphilis RDTs) and HIVST markets are highlighted by the report, reflecting differences between the role these tests play in reaching people and delivering HIV testing, diagnosis and prevention services. While the conditions for competition and equitable access exist, and several new products such as dual tests and HIVSTs have recently entered the market, structural factors have contributed to higher prices for professional use HIV RDTs than can be observed in comparable products. Furthermore, there are concerns regarding the need to balance quality with supply risk, concentration, and affordability in professional use test selection and the sometimes higher price of HIVST.

Through the exploration and analysis of these challenges, a course of action is proposed based on market health frameworks. These include but are not limited to, refreshing policy and procurement approaches for professional use HIV tests to drive price competition and improve supply security, supporting counties to update their algorithm to allow new tests to enter in their market, continuing to promote and facilitate the adoption of WHO policy recommendations, addressing affordability by increasing new test market penetration, and revitalizing support for strategic programmatic implementation.