Pre-conferences

This symposium builds on a decade of meetings focused on the health and well-being of infants, children and adolescents born HIV free to women living with HIV, a population that is estimated to exceed 16 million globally. Perinatal HIV and antiretroviral drug exposure makes these children more vulnerable than others to infectious morbidity, mortality, impaired growth and suboptimal neurodevelopmental and cognitive outcomes – despite starting life HIV free.

As our understanding evolves, a multifaceted approach is needed to understand the impact of newer HIV treatment options available for pregnant persons with HIV, identify those at risk for poorer outcomes, and continue research on the mechanistic pathways of observed differences, the screening tools, interventions, policy development, and advocacy needed to optimize the health of children and adolescent born HIV-free to women living with HIV.

This symposium, “Taking action to ensure that children and adolescents with perinatal exposure thrive,” present the latest scientific findings and address health policy and programming to support children with perinatal exposure to thrive. It fosters networking opportunities for researchers, policy makers, implementers, community members and advocates.

To develop a cure that is scalable and accessible to all, it is increasingly important to consider host and viral diversities. However, most clinical trials to date have been conducted in homogeneous populations and it is therefore imperative to understand how viral and host diversity affect the response to curative interventions in order to develop a cure that is truly scalable and access With that in mind, the pre-conference programme will discuss considerations of HIV sub-types, age, biological sex and common co-morbidities, among others, and their importance and implications in HIV cure research. Capitalizing on IAS 2025 taking place in the African continent the programme will engage local scientific stakeholders and tailor sessions to address the specific needs and priorities of HIV cure research in Africa. The sessions will include a scientific keynote presentation, invited talks and oral abstract presentations.

As global efforts to end HIV continue, innovative strategies to increase access to and uptake of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) are essential. This pre-conference session will bring together key stakeholders to explore the latest evidence, strategies, and innovations in the integration of HIV self-testing (HIVST) with PrEP delivery. Through expert presentations, panel discussions, and interactive dialogues, we will: Highlight key insights from HIVST implementation, including diverse delivery models, monitoring and evaluation strategies, and approaches to measure impact. Present findings from WHO’s HIVST impact modeling, shedding light on the potential contribution of HIVST to global HIV prevention goals. Share early lessons from integrating HIVST to support oral PrEP initiation and continuation and explore its applicability for long-acting PrEP options. Discuss key results from HIVST and PrEP impact modeling with implications for scale-up and policy adoption.

The IAS 2025 Community Forum will focus on the critical gaps in the HIV response and mobilize our collective power to push for change. The first session will outline the pre-existing funding gaps and explain how the current political landscape is widening those disparities and threatening access to lifesaving services. The second panel will focus on anti-rights movements and finding opportunities in times of uncertainty. Both sessions will feature an in-depth discussion with the audience to encourage sharing of experiences and active participation.

Africa has long been at the forefront of the global HIV response, making transformative contributions to vaccine research. These contributions span clinical trials, novel basic research, and community-driven innovations. The pre-conference seeks to celebrate Africa’s leadership in HIV vaccine research, showcasing success stories, and exploring opportunities for the continent to shape the future of this critical field. By highlighting African-led scientific innovation, clinical trials and infrastructure development, this preconference aims to inspire increased investment and collaboration while emphasizing Africa’s central role in the global HIV vaccine research agenda.

This afternoon pre-conference will bring together a diversity of voices of women living with HIV from around the world as well as international experts to focus on achievements in HIV prevention, treatment and care for women living with HIV. You will hear about sexual and reproductive health and rights in women living with HIV, experiences from women living with HIV in different regions and contexts, and also how HIV affects young women, transgender women and sex workers.

"Women Know What Works" is not just a call to action, it is a reminder to the global community that women are at the centre of the global HIV and AIDS response – it is time to be heard, time to be recognised, because women know what works.