It would be gratifying in another 20, 30, or 40 years from now to live in a time in which AIDS no longer ravishes thousands of people, adults and children, every year. The photographs and movie posters of today regarding this pandemic disease might even become, in the future, sought after memorabilia just as the original vintage movie posters, photos, and movie memorabilia from the 1900s – 1970s are sought, sold and bought by today’s passionate collectors. Will movie memorabilia collectors in the future be interested in selling movie posters of “Parting Glances” with Steve Buscemi, one of the only movies about a queer with AIDS who doesn’t die at the end of the film, “Philadelphia” with Tom Hanks, or less well known films as ” We Were There”, a San Francisco centered movie revolving around the stories of 5 different people who experienced the AIDS crisis in different ways or “Sex Positive”, about the story of Richard Berkowitz, a co-author of one of the first safe sex pamphlets – How to Have Sex in an Epidemic: One Approach, that was written before AIDS was connected to HIV? In the meantime, a lot of work still needs to be done.
Scientific Topics that will be covered during the convention include:
1. Clinical Science
1.1. New ARV therapy strategies
– New Therapeutic Approaches and Treatment Strategies
– Paediatric Treatment Strategies
– Impact of opportunistic diseases on ARV treatment strategies
– Clinical Trials of New Drugs/Pro-Drugs
1.2. Important aspects of current ARV therapies
– Biological Markers for monitoring Disease Progression and Therapy
– Resistance surveillance and testing in clinical practice
– IDU ARV treatment failure and salvage therapy
– Adherence
– Survival after initiation of ART
– Managing the side effects and Drug Interactions
1.3 Co-infections
– HIV and tuberculosis
– Viral hepatitis
– HIV and STI interactions
– DOTS
1.4 Drug abuse treatment
– oral substitution treatment
– heroin assisted treatment
– treating stimulant injectors (amphetamines, crack)
– drug free approaches
– integration of risk reduction approaches into addiction treatment
2. Epidemiology and Surveillance
2.1. Dynamics of the HIV-Epidemic
– Determinants of Transmissibility, network analysis
– other determinants (IDU dynamics, MTCT (mother-to-child-transmission) dynamics, migration, STI and sexual behaviour, imprisonment)
– Substance use (alcohol, crack, IVDU) as risk factors for infectious diseases
2.2. Molecular Epidemiology
2.3. HIV-Prevalence/Incidence measurement
2.4. Diagnostics & Monitoring Tools aimed at hard-to-reach populations
2.5. Expanded HIV screening
3. Social Science and Public Health
3.1 Drug Use, Sexuality and HIV-protection/risk behaviour
– determinants and contexts of protection/risk behaviour
– protection/risk behaviour in specific vulnerable groups (children, IDU, MSM, MSW, FSW, migrant populations, prisoners and ex-prisoners)
– gender
3.2 Prevention: Concepts and Effects
– risk reduction strategies vs. risk minimizing strategies
– harm reduction, conditions for effective harm reduction in substance users, patient satisfaction with harm reduction approaches
– prevention in hard to reach populations
– gender and age
– prevention in transforming societies/poor resource settings
– cross border/EU-wide
– early interventions
– increasing coverage for effective harm reduction in substance users
3.3 Care and Support
– support needs
– access to care
– gender, migration and age specific aspects
– Care and support in transforming societies
– Horizontal learning and intersectoral HIV case management
– HIV and mental health
3.4 Societal Reactions on HIV/AIDS and Public Health Policies
– PLWH and work; disability management
– Stigma and exclusion vs. participation and inclusion
– Legislation
– Policy
– Pricing and administration (affordability)