The 24th STI & HIV World Congress will take place from 14-17 July 2021. Under the theme “Sexual diversity and the city”, this bi-annual meeting is dedicated to STI and aims to address diversity, health and sexuality in the urban context. The 11th IAS Virtual Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2021) will take place from 18-21 July 2021, and will present the critical advances in basic, clinical and operational research that moves science into policy and practice. WHO will participate in both virtual conferences leading key sessions, symposia and satellites.
On-demand symposium – anytime: New methods to enhance surveillance
Tools to enhance global STI surveillance
Without information, you don’t have a problem. Without a problem, you can’t advocate for resources. Without resources to tackle the problem, it grows bigger. However, without information, who would know?
There is a vicious cycle of limited STI surveillance and limited funding and responses especially in resource limited settings. Strengthened strategic information for STIs are needed to guide programming and service delivery, to rally political commitment and build strong national investment case. National strategic information systems that incorporate STI case reporting, prevalence assessments, assessment of the aetiologies of sexually transmitted infection syndromes, and monitoring for antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhoea are required. Striking the right balance of STI surveillance activities requires resources, building reporting systems and strengthening capacity at national level to conduct and improve routine surveillance, while simultaneously investing in prevalence surveys and special studies. The session will present current global STI data and discuss challenges in STI surveillance, tools available to support STI surveillance and strategies to strengthening STI surveillance.
Saturday, 17 July 2021
13:00-15:00 WHO satellite session
WHO Guidelines on the management of people with symptoms of STIs
The provision of effective services for people with symptoms of STIs and their partners is among the top priorities of an STI control programme. People with symptoms of STIs may be aware that they are infected and are more likely to seek care.
Syndromic management is widely utilized to manage people with symptoms of STIs. The syndromic management flowcharts are still the standard of care where laboratory diagnosis is not available or, where available, results take several days.
In 2021, WHO has finalized recommendations on the management of people with symptoms of STIs to update the 2003 recommendations. The session will launch the new WHO guidelines. These guidelines aim to raise the quality of managing people with symptoms of STIs through providing evidence-based recommendations. Etiologic and syndromic approaches are recommended based on settings. Implementation consideration and perspectives from various stakeholders will be discussed.
Pre-conference
Friday, 16 July and Saturday, 17 July 2021
14:00- 21:30 - Virology education
International Workshop on HIV Pediatrics 2020
The HIV Pediatrics Workshop is the only meeting entirely devoted to gather and share clinical research on the prevention and treatment of HIV infections in infants, children, and adolescents, making it the critical forum for the global paediatric researchers. Similarly, to previous years, the platform will give the opportunity to share WHO’s updates and obtain further insights on current issues that will inform WHO policies moving forward.
Sunday, 18 July 2021
09:00 to 10:00 - IAS 2021 Opening session: From pandemic to pandemic panel discussion
How do we apply lessons learnt from HIV on reducing inequalities to the COVID-19 response - Dr Soumya Swaminathan, Chief Scientist, WHO
Eighteen months into COVID-19, the pandemic continues to cause uncertainty and threatens progress on HIV and other global health areas. COVID-19 has exposed the inadequacy of investments and profound inequities in public health. At the same time, COVID-19 has benefitted from four decades of HIV experience as witnessed by the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines. The pandemic has also opened doors to new possibilities for HIV science and service delivery. In this panel discussion, leading experts will discuss the impact of COVID-19 disruptions on HIV and how the HIV response can seize the momentum generated by COVID-19.
On demand e-poster
Clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in people living with HIV hospitalized with COVID-19: findings from the WHO Global Clinical Platform
S. Bertagnolio, S.S. Thwin, R. Silva, N. Ford, R. Baggaley, M. Vitoria, W. Jassat, M. Doherty, J. Diaz
07:30-08:30 - IAS satellite with CIPHER, WHO and IMPAACT
Informed choices for pregnant women! New approaches and good practices for studying antiretrovirals in pregnancy
This satellite aims to move forward the dialogue on including pregnant women in HIV clinical trials and brings together women living with HIV, academic researchers, clinical experts, regulators, industry, funders, and other key stakeholders involved in studying HIV-related drugs in pregnant women, with the goal of defining how we can achieve a shift in creating timely, high-quality data about new HIV drugs used in pregnancy.
07:30-08:30 - WHO satellite
On the path to eliminate cervical cancer: New WHO recommendations on screening and treatment for women living with HIV
This satellite will present the new WHO recommendations on screening and treatment to prevent cervical cancer focusing on women living with HIV. It will also include a dialogue between women, advocates, scientists and providers on the implications of these recommendations for increasing access, improving care and saving lives..
11:00-12:30 - International Association of Providers of AIDS Care (IAPAC) - 2021 90-90-90 Targets Update
COVID-19 Lessons Learned: Transitioning from Fragility to Agility in HIV Responses
This 90-90-90 Targets Satellite will review the progress made globally and by countries towards achieving the HIV 90-90-90 targets. It is an annual platform to share best practices and benchmark country-led and community-led innovative programmes that are striving to end AIDS by 2030.
11:00-12:30 - WHO satellite
Coming into its own: self-testing in the time of COVID-19 and beyond
WHO’s recommendations on HIV self-testing in 2016 and 2019, it is now widely available and used in country programmes. During the COVID-19 pandemic, HIV, viral hepatitis and STI testing and treatment services have been affected with substantial declines in testing and new treatment initiations. Self-testing has been highlighted as a critical tool to address growing gaps and support service continuity.
Building on HIV self-testing evidence and implementation experiences, WHO is launching the first ever recommendation and guidance on HCV self-testing at IAS. This satellite aims to explore the progress and opportunities on self-testing across HIV, HCV and STIs and discusses emerging approaches for COVID-19 testing and their potential role in the response.
16:00-17:30 - WHO satellite
What’s new in the WHO Consolidated HIV guidelines – prevention, treatment, monitoring & service delivery
WHO introduces the 3rd edition of the WHO consolidated guidelines on HIV, which brings together HIV testing, prevention, treatment, service delivery and monitoring recommendations. The guideline provides updates in several areas: additional options for prevention, infant diagnosis, preferred antiretroviral combinations for first- and second-line treatment, revised treatment monitoring algorithm, advanced HIV disease package, management of important co morbidities and HIV service delivery strategies. The satellite also includes a lively session with panelists to explore key questions and current issues in HIV programmes.
19:00-20:30 - WHO satellite
What will it take to reach the SDGs: WHO updated global health sector strategies – new data and new targets
The World Health Organization is proposing that new 2022-2030 global health sector strategies for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections maintain an individual approach to each disease area while also emphasizing important synergies to be found in combatting the diseases collectively. This session will propose an approach to 2025 health sector targets for HIV, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections and explore opportunities for integrating across the programme areas including through primary health care. A wide range of speakers and partners will review progress to date and suggest ways forward.
19:00-20:30 - STAR satellite with Unitaid and WHO
HIV Self-Testing, What’s Next?
The Unitaid-funded HIV Self-Testing Africa (STAR) Initiative and the Atlas Project implemented in West-Africa, have demonstrated a critical role for HIVST in reaching populations poorly served by traditional testing modalities, including men, adolescents and key populations.
This satellite will share how STAR and Atlas have identified new entry points for HIVST to increase access to health care, how HIVST been used to maintain HIV testing services during the COVID-19 pandemic and how digital and mhealth solutions were designed to increase HIVST access, support effective use and facilitate follow-up and linkage to care and prevention services.
21:00-22:30 - IAS and WHO Satellite
What's new in DSD for HIV treatment: From WHO recommendations to reality
In April 2021, the World Health Organization released new clinical and service delivery recommendations for HIV prevention, treatment and care. The updated recommendations include actions that countries can take to improve the delivery of HIV treatment and care services, including integrated approaches to testing, by providing greater options for differentiated approaches.
The aim of this satellite is to inform ministries of health, HIV programme managers, members of civil society and other stakeholders about key changes to the guidelines and share data from early adopters of these policies along with experiences on how to operationalize implementation of the new guidelines. These recommendations include earlier eligibility for differentiated service delivery (DSD) for HIV treatment after six months on antiretroviral therapy (ART); updated recommendations for pregnant and breastfeeding women on ART; frequency and alignment of clinical visits and ART refills, as well as new aspects for integrating HIV treatment with family planning and the management of non-communicable diseases.
Monday, 19 July 2021
08.30-09.30 - IAS satellite with AVAC, PATH and WHO
Paving the road for new PrEP products: The promise of differentiated, simplified, and decentralized delivery to maximize the potential of new PrEP products
The world missed the 2020 UNAIDS target of 3 million people accessing pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Despite missing this target, PrEP uptake has increased 113% since 2019, largely due to efforts to differentiate, simplify, and demedicalize PrEP delivery. PrEP delivery has shifted from clinic-only models to mobile, pharmacy, and virtual ones that have led to increased uptake and effective use of PrEP. As new PrEP products come to market, including long-acting injectables, antiretroviral-containing vaginal rings, and the dual prevention pill, the world is poised for continued PrEP scale-up. However, there is a critical need to simplify delivery of these products in order to optimize their availability and acceptability to benefit all populations.
This session will convene implementers, advocates, and researchers to share viewpoints on what can be done to differentiate access points and models to define a pathway for inclusive, client-responsive delivery of these new PrEP tools.
08.30-09.30 - WHO Regional Office for Europe satellite
Response to HIV epidemic in the WHO European Region: demystifying integration of services
The satellite is organized and hosted by the HIV/viral hepatitis/STIs unit of the Division of Health country programmes of the WHO Regional Office for Europe and aims at presenting some examples of services integration as a part of regional and national efforts towards to reaching the 2030 targets and achieving SDG3.3.
15:00-15:50 - Symposium
Children and adolescents affected by HIV – broadening the mandate in the maturing HIV epidemic
This session will highlight the activities of the 7th Workshop on Children and Adolescents HIV-exposed uninfected. The workshop is the only international forum focused on the health and wellbeing of the over 15 million children and adolescents who did not contract HIV but experienced in utero or breastfeeding exposure to HIV. This population is not achieving comparable health and developmental outcomes compared to their peers born to women without HIV. These disparities have significant human capital implications, particularly in countries where over 20% of all children have been exposed to HIV and remain uninfected.
The workshop attracts researchers, clinicians, programme implementers, policymakers and advocates. It has been a catalyst for shaping the research agenda and health policy to ensure that these children and adolescents thrive to their fullest human potential and in a comparable manner to their peers.
17:00-18:00 - IAS satellite with WHO contributing
Men and HIV in sub-Saharan Africa: Men as patients, peers in service delivery and healthcare providers
In recent years, considerable progress has been made towards reaching the UNAIDS 95-95-95 targets in sub-Saharan Africa. Data from the 21 countries in eastern and southern Africa highlights this progress. From 2015 to 2019, women went from 83-71-87 to 91-86-91 while figures for men increased from 74-64-86 to 84-77-90 over the same time period. Trends are similar in West and Central Africa (WCA) with even greater efforts needed to improve men’s access to HIV services. In order to reach the men left behind, challenges must be addressed and successful programmes taken to scale.
This session focusses on progress and possibilities and discusses men from different perspectives: men as partners, men as patients, men as peers in service delivery, men as providers of health care. It concludes with a path to person-centred care for men in sub-Saharan Africa.
Tuesday, 20 July 2021
08:30-09:30 - Unitaid satellite with ImPrEP and WHO
PrEP implementation in Latin America - Results of the ImPrEP Project
Presenters from Brazil, Mexico and Peru will provide an overview of the ImPrEP project and highlight studies results of the oral PrEP demonstration study, surveys, and qualitative studies to assess knowledge, attitudes, practices, and preferences among MSM and transgender populations, physicians and other stakeholders, transmission impact of PrEP uptake among MSM and transgender populations in urban centers and a discreet choice experiment on new PrEP technologies.
A report back of the highlights from the STI and HIV World Congress 2021, organised by the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) will be done.
11:30-13:00 - IAS and ISSTDR satellite with WHO contributing
Delivering person-centered quality HIV and STI services
This session highlights the health needs and realities of different key populations, men who have sex with men and sex workers. It shows ways in which person-centred and quality health services can respond to the specific STI and HIV -related needs, based on client preferences.
A report back of the highlights from the STI and HIV World Congress 2021, organised by the International Society for Sexually Transmitted Diseases Research (ISSTDR) will be done.
16:00-17:00 - WHO and IAS
Meet the COVID-19 Expert: WHO COVID-19 response and other global emergencies
The COVID-19 pandemic has affected us all and it has set back the gains in the HIV response potentially by a decade. In this session, you can ask Dr Mike Ryan, the WHO leader for the COVID-19 response about the epidemiology, science, vaccines, country level response, impact on health care workers and expectations as we look forward towards a post-COVID world. How can the global health architecture address the inequities in COVID-19 vaccine coverage? What is the vision for future pandemic preparedness and resilient health systems? The session will be moderated by WHO HIV and Emergency Departments.
19:00-20:30 - IAS and WHO Satellite
An HIV vaccine: who needs it?
The HIV epidemic, now in its fourth decade, has affected 75.7 million people, led to 32.7 millionCOVID-19 Lessons Learned deaths, disproportionally affecting vulnerable populations and costing an estimated US $41.2 billion. Tremendous progress has been made in developing effective treatments and prevention options but the challenge of developing a safe and effective HIV vaccine persists, raising important questions about where an HIV vaccine should feature in our global efforts to end the epidemic.
Co-sponsored by the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise at IAS and UNAIDS, this satellite will start by reaffirming the case for an HIV vaccine against a background of effective but not yet broadly accessible or acceptable prevention. Through a panel discussion and audience participation, we will look to a future in which we have discovered an HIV vaccine – and ask critical questions such as who we should immunize, what would the regimen look like, what would be the costs and the benefits and who should pay for it.
Wednesday, 21 July 2021
08:00-09:00 - Unitaid satellite with PrEP1519, Project PrEP and WHO
PrEP enrolment and continuation works better for adolescents and youth when integrated with the provision of other services: lessons learned and challenges post-COVID-19 from Brazil and South Africa
PrEP is an integral prevention tool to reduce HIV acquisition risk among different populations. Giving the complexities in providing optimal PrEP services for adolescents and youth girls, and adolescent’s key population of MSM and transgender populations, this satellite aims to present lessons learned in PrEP programming for adolescents in Brazil and South Africa, and challenges post-COVID-19.
The session sponsored by UNITAID will highlight PrEP service aspects on youth friendly environments; multi-disciplinary and innovative PrEP care pathways; barriers to uptake; point of care protocol for STI; knowledge and acceptability of new modalities of PrEP among adolescents such as ED-PrEP and LA-CAB; the role of peer navigators and educators to reach, link and retention of adolescents in HIV prevention services.
08:00-09:30 - DNDi, WHO & SGUL
Why are so many people still dying from aids? Turning the tide on advanced HIV
In 2019, around 690,000 people died from AIDS-related illnesses, mostly in Africa. The most common causes of death are tuberculosis, cryptococcal meningitis, cerebral toxoplasmosis and severe bacterial infections. This session will focus on the state of advanced HIV disease in resource limited settings. It will showcase progress and gaps in R&D as well as in implementation of WHO guidance for ending preventable and unacceptably high AIDS-related deaths. The session will end with a high-level panel to brainstorm what’s needed to end a four decade-old pandemic.
11:00-12:30 - Joint workshop with CIPHER, WHO, PHACS, PATA, UNICEF and Massachusetts General Hospital
7th Workshop on Children and Adolescents HIV-exposed and uninfected
The 7th Workshop on Children and Adolescents HIV-exposed and Uninfected brings together clinicians, scientists, advocates, implementers and policy experts. It aims to better understand the short- and long-term health and developmental disparities of these 15 million children and adolescents, as well as facilitate collaborations to translate evidence into action.
14:00-14:50 - Prevention science Symposium
Intravaginal options: Today and in the future
HIV prevention methods are evolving rapidly, particularly for women at increased vulnerability to HIV acquisition. This session will explore the options for intravaginal ring products, the relevant regulatory approvals that exist for them, and what the next generation of intravaginal products will offer.
WHO will present on 'WHO, EMA and other regulatory approvals (where we are)'
On-demand (any time) - IAS and WHO Satellite
Proof in the pudding: PrEP outcomes in diverse settings - Global adoption of guidelines on and use of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP): current situation and future projections
With the 2020 global target of three million oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) users set during the UN General Assembly in 2016 at an end, we assessed global trends in the adoption of WHO oral PrEP recommendations into national guidelines and numbers of oral PrEP users, and estimated future trajectories of PrEP users.
