Top 10 Stories in ID That Will Change Practice
Top 10 Stories in ID That Will Change Practice
Held July 22-27, 2012, in Washington, DC, the XIX International AIDS Conference was a grand celebration of the progress in the field and plans for the future. Speakers included former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (Figure 3), Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, former First Lady Laura Bush, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, Nobel laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (discoverer of HIV virus and president of the International AIDS Society), Bill Gates, Elton John, and Whoopi Goldberg. HIV represents what many consider the most devastating infectious disease and most remarkable success story in the recent history of medicine.
Data for 2011 show that 34 million people are infected with HIV, with 2.5 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths. The progress report is impressive. Patients with HIV infection in the United States and Europe now have near-normal longevity. The application of resources through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) now provides funding for extensive services to developing countries where the epidemic has been particularly devastating.
The current domestic research plan emphasizes HIV prevention and cure. The new WHO plan for developing countries focuses on the expansion of current programs with the long-range plan for the treatment of every person with HIV infection. Much of the enthusiasm for the current agenda comes from the HPTN 052 trial, showing that treatment is prevention, and the observation that cure is possible, as demonstrated by the "Berlin patient" and other apparent cures presented at the conference. The long-range plan, as articulated by Secretary Clinton, is "an AIDS-free generation." Nevertheless, this challenge is huge, considering the current numbers, the economic climate, and competing priorities.
More From Medscape
Top News From AIDS 2012: Slideshow
AIDS 2012: XIX International AIDS Conference
The XIX International AIDS Conference
Held July 22-27, 2012, in Washington, DC, the XIX International AIDS Conference was a grand celebration of the progress in the field and plans for the future. Speakers included former President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (Figure 3), Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, former First Lady Laura Bush, World Bank president Jim Yong Kim, Nobel laureate Françoise Barré-Sinoussi (discoverer of HIV virus and president of the International AIDS Society), Bill Gates, Elton John, and Whoopi Goldberg. HIV represents what many consider the most devastating infectious disease and most remarkable success story in the recent history of medicine.
|
|
|
Figure 3. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks at the AIDS 2012: XIX International AIDS Conference. |
Data for 2011 show that 34 million people are infected with HIV, with 2.5 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths. The progress report is impressive. Patients with HIV infection in the United States and Europe now have near-normal longevity. The application of resources through the World Health Organization (WHO) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) now provides funding for extensive services to developing countries where the epidemic has been particularly devastating.
The current domestic research plan emphasizes HIV prevention and cure. The new WHO plan for developing countries focuses on the expansion of current programs with the long-range plan for the treatment of every person with HIV infection. Much of the enthusiasm for the current agenda comes from the HPTN 052 trial, showing that treatment is prevention, and the observation that cure is possible, as demonstrated by the "Berlin patient" and other apparent cures presented at the conference. The long-range plan, as articulated by Secretary Clinton, is "an AIDS-free generation." Nevertheless, this challenge is huge, considering the current numbers, the economic climate, and competing priorities.
More From Medscape
Top News From AIDS 2012: Slideshow
AIDS 2012: XIX International AIDS Conference