Time: 10.45 - 12.15
Room: MH1
Reporter: INGRID UWASE

The session was organized by MYLAN, one of the partner of ICASA2019. Speakers at the session were Dr Serge Etholie (Cote D’Ivoire), Dr James Hakim (Zimbabwe), Dr Lioyld Mukenga (Zambia) and Dr Reena Shah (Kenya).

Dr James Hakim (Professor and Chair of Medicine at the University of Zimbabwe and Adjunct Professor of Medicine at the University of Colorado, Denver) attempted to answer the question on which specific populations in Africa can be prioritized for long term treatment. He showed that globally 37.9 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2018 of which 23.3 million people were receiving antiretroviral treatment. The population people living with HIV in Africa were heterogenous incluing adolescents, women and young people and key populations. Perinatal and paediatric HIV continues to be an important aspect of the African HIV epidemic.

Other speaker highlighted similar issues.

• Adolescent girls and young women are disproportionally affected by HIV
• In Eastern and Southern Africa, 79% of new HIV infections was among 10–19-year-old females
• 50 adolescent girls die every day from AIDS-related illnesses
• Each day, some 460 adolescent girls become infected with HIV

Dr Reena Shah giving the closing and take away message. Measures she identified can be taken are:

• Develop and expand alternatives to triple therapy such as dual therapy
• Innovate to improve adherence, treatment fatigue, logistical and supply-chain challenges such as the use of long acting injectables, implantable agents and monoclonal antibodies.