The WHO is actively participating in the 25th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2024) in Munich, Germany, and online from July 20 to 26. During a series of pre-conference sessions and WHO-led satellite events, the Organization will present its latest epidemiological data, scientific findings, and normative work. Discussions will center around the recent progress report on implementing the Global Health Sector Strategies on HIV, viral hepatitis, and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) for 2022–2030. The report underscores the ongoing public health challenges posed by these epidemics, which cause 2.5 million deaths annually. The varied progress across these areas highlights the urgent need for increased political will and commitment to enhance efforts.
Featured Session On Tuesday, July 23, at 13:30 CEST, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, will participate in the IAS Special Session titled “Inequities Forever?” alongside global leaders, including former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark. This session will explore the necessity for strategies beyond public health interventions to address structural inequities driving the HIV pandemic and how such inequities affected the COVID-19 response.
Key WHO Updates at AIDS 2024
- Updated WHO Guidelines on HIV Testing Services: WHO’s new Consolidated Guidelines on Differentiated HIV Testing Services recommend expanding network-based testing to reach partners and social contacts of people with HIV and STIs. The guidelines also advocate for broadening self-testing to include syphilis and dual HIV/syphilis tests.
- HIV Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) Guidance: The updated guidelines emphasize broader access to PEP, including community-based delivery and task sharing to overcome barriers like stigma and ensure timely access. They also outline transitions from PEP to PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and vice versa, and promote the use of HIV self-testing as part of PEP and PrEP programs.
- PrEP Implementation Tool: Provider Module: The 2024 update of the Provider Module in the WHO PrEP Implementation Tool replaces the 2017 Clinical Module, incorporating recent WHO guidance on differentiated and simplified PrEP services, guidelines for key populations, and recommendations on the dapivirine vaginal ring (DVR) and long-acting injectable cabotegravir (CAB-LA).
- Technical Brief on Reducing HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination: The new brief, “Ensuring Quality and Equitable Health Care by Reducing HIV-Related Stigma and Discrimination,” outlines three priority areas for health facility managers and providers to ensure stigma-free services: focusing on improving quality of life for people, integrating stigma reduction into facility-based approaches, and engaging structures and systems to foster an enabling environment for quality care.
- Guidance and New Framework on STIs: WHO has updated treatment recommendations for STIs including Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia trachomatis, and syphilis, addressing rising resistance and increases in STIs. New guidelines for other STIs, such as Trichomonas vaginalis and Mycoplasma genitalium, will also be released. Additionally, WHO will publish a framework for monitoring STIs with 11 core indicators to support progress towards ending STIs as a public health concern by 2030. A pre-conference meeting will focus on accelerating STI control through political commitment, innovation, and community mobilization, and will introduce the WHO global STI research priority agenda.
- Mpox Survey in Europe and the Americas: Following a significant decline in mpox cases in late 2022, WHO conducted a survey in 23 countries. The survey, conducted through geospatial dating apps, revealed notable regional differences in vaccination rates and behavioral adaptations, which were key to understanding the decline in transmission. WHO proposes that this decline resulted from community-led adaptations and naturally acquired immunity, emphasizing the need to enhance vaccination access for ongoing and future outbreaks.
