Tune in Next Week for Coverage of the 2018 International AIDS Conference

Next week, members of the HIV community from around the globe will gather in Amsterdam for the 22nd International AIDS ConferenceExit Disclaimer (AIDS 2018) and HIV.gov will be there to share highlights.

More than 15,000 people—scientists, public health experts, policy makers, and members of the HIV-affected community—are expected to participate in the conference, which opens on Monday, July 23 and continues through Friday, July 27, 2018. Over 500 sessions, workshops, and program activities are planned, focusing on all facets of advancing our collective efforts to treat and prevent HIV.

Conference Highlights

The International AIDS Society, which organizes the biennial conference, has announced that among the science highlightsExit Disclaimer to be showcased are important advances in HIV prevention science, including the latest research on vaccines and other future prevention tools; new lessons learned from the scale up of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP); and innovative strategies for key populations, such as adolescents and young adults.

Other highlights of the research program will include:

• First results from PARTNER2, a follow-up to the landmark PARTNER study, with new evidence on the effectiveness of "treatment as prevention" in gay male couples;
• New research on the possibility that feminizing hormone therapy may affect the efficacy of PrEP in transgender women;
• Results from RIVER, the first randomized controlled trial of a "kick and kill" approach to attacking HIV reservoirs; and
• Late-breaking findings on the safety of the antiretroviral medication Dolutegravir in pregnancy, as well as interpretations and implications.

In addition, representatives from hundreds of HIV programs will network in the Global Village, showcasing how science translates into community action and intervention. Several well-known individuals who are actively engaged in the response to HIV are also scheduled to participate in the conference, including Prince Harry and Oscar-winning actress Charlize Theron.

HIV.gov Coverage Highlights

Throughout the week, HIV.gov will help you stay abreast of some of the news and share highlights from the conference.

• Science Highlights: On Monday, July 23, at 8:15 am (EDT) we'll be talking with NIH's Dr. Anthony Fauci via Facebook Live to get a preview and hear about some of the pre-conference activities that took place. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday at 11:00 AM (EDT)/8:00 AM (PDT), we'll hear from NIH's Dr. Carl Dieffenbach about research highlights from the day's presentations via Facebook Live. If you miss the live interviews, you can watch the recording on our Facebook page and share your feedback in the Comments.
• Live Interviews:We'll also be sharing interviews with other Federal HIV leaders at the conference. Tune in to hear from PEPFAR's Deborah Birx, CDC's Eugene McCray and Hank Tomlinson, HRSA's Harold Phillips, and USAID's Polly Dunford. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for schedule details.
• News: Here on the blog, we'll share news from Federal partners about scientific advances and program initiatives being announced at the conference, as well as brief re-caps from our Live interviews with additional information about the topics discussed.
• Social media:We'll also share conference highlights on Twitter and Instagram. On Twitter, you can follow us at @HIVgovExit Disclaimer and follow all the conference news on social media using #AIDS2018Exit Disclaimer. Watch for a more detailed post about how we'll be using social media from the conference (sneak peek: think Instagram stories and a chatbot).

You can also follow AIDS 2018 via the conference's official social media presences and website:

• Highlights and sharable graphics will be posted on FacebookExit Disclaimer, TwitterExit Disclaimer, and InstagramExit Disclaimer.
• Some sessions will be available via live streamExit Disclaimer, recordings of selected sessions will be shared on the conference websiteExit Disclaimer, and daily video highlights will be shared on YouTubeExit Disclaimer.

In preparation for the conference, visit the PEPFAR and the Global HIV epidemic pages on HIV.gov, including highlights of the U.S. Government's global HIV activities. You may also be interested in reviewing some of our recent coverage of HIV research, information about federal agencies' research activities, and basic information about potential future HIV prevention options such as a vaccine and long-acting PrEP that may be discussed during the conference.