The 23rd International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2020 became the first virtual edition of the International AIDS Conference, considering the COVID-19 pandemic. The digital conference is happening from 6th to 10th July 2020 and invites interested participants to register on the link given below.

Asia Pacific has long been battling a debilitating and complex epidemic – HIV/AIDS. In 2018, UNAIDS reported that APAC region saw approximately 310,000 new HIV infections, causing the total prevalence to surge to an alarming 5.9 million. In the same year, roughly 200,000 people have died from AIDS-related illnesses, and these deaths have continued to escalate.

While there have been great strides to boost access to antiretroviral therapy (ART), it is apparent that Asia Pacific still lags behind other regions like Africa in its HIV response. A significant proportion of those affected, including more than one-fifth of HIV-positive children under age 15, still lack access to ART. Additionally, almost half of HIV-positive pregnant women in our region do not have access to antiretroviral medicines that is necessary to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission.

From June 6 to 10 July, the world’s largest conference on HIV/AIDS, AIDS 2020: Virtual, is hosting eminent researchers and industrialists who are discussing latest findings on HIV vaccines and cure research, the impact of PrEP use, recent research on the global gag rule and its impact on communities most affected by HIV, and more. In light of the recent COVID-19 epidemic, the conference is also focusing on brand-new COVID-19 and HIV data, showcasing how HIV intersects with the COVID-19 epidemic.

AIDS 2020 conference hosts renowned speakers and leaders like, Kevin Osborne (Switzerland), Executive Director International AIDS Society (IAS); Anton Pozniak (United Kingdom), President, IAS; Dr. Anthony Fauci and Ambassador Deborah Birx, MD, (members of the U.S. White House COVID-19 Task Force; Professor Salim Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA and Chair of the South African Ministry of Health COVID-19 Advisory Committee/COVID-19 MAC. 

For registration and further insight on AIDS 2020: Virtual https://www.aids2020.org/