What an amazing three days I’ve had in Hong Kong at the APACC 2018 conference, learning about the current thinking in prevention, treatment and future of HIV and co-infections in the Asia Pacific region. I’m very thankful to ASHM for awarding me a scholarship to attend the conference, which has given me so much to take back to Melbourne to discuss. Although my first-time blogging attempts may not completely reflect it, we heard and learned from some very passionate and forward thinking speakers who presented their research in HIV and Hepatitis.
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Why we need KPLHS to end AIDS in the Asia Pacific
Michael Cassell FHI 360 Thailand
Speakers:
Presented by Jessica Michaels and Scott McGill, ASHM Symposium with Panel
Dr Grace Liu, HIV Metabolic Clinic , Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong
Dr Gary Lee, GP, Holdsworth House, Sydney Australia
Dr Evy Yunihastuti, University of Indonesia
Jose Gatell, Senior Medical Director ViiV Healthcare University of Barcelona, Spain
Jose Gatell’s presentation on the history, current status and future of managing HIV positive patients was a fascinating insight into how far we’ve come, and how far we have to go. Luckily, with an engaging and interactive presentation, he gives us hope that we’ll get there!
The APACC 2018 began with a Trubute to Prof David Cooper delivered by Dr Phanuphak and Prof Mark Boyd. Mrs Cooper was an invited guest at the meeting.
David Cooper Memorial Lecture: Current efforts to control the epidemic in the region, Nittaya Phanuphak
This was a very powerful and fast-moving presentation. The main message would appear to be if we want to control HIV we need to get in there and do it! Nittaya advocated strongly that we need to highlight the gaps in our HIV prevention, particularly to PEP and PrEP provision and ensure that all at risk of HIV can access PrEP. She highlighted that in Thailand 4000 people are taking PrEP, but it is they estimated that to reduce HIV infection rates 1 million would need to be accessing it. The challenge is how to provide access to marginalised and hard to reach groups. Nittaya advocated for the de-medicalisation of HIV treatment and prevention through multidisciplinary working nurse led PEP, PrEP and treatment initiation. But key to the de-medicalisation is the inclusion of peers to provide support and treatment navigation service and facilitate same day provision.
It was an inspiring start to the 2018 APACC conference, with the first session foreshadowing conference highlights, and paying tribute to Professor David Cooper, who contributed so enormously to the field and the APACC conference itself.
The first day of the APACC 2018 for an Australian participant highlights the challenges we face in the Asia and Pacific region. As a first-time HIV conference attendee and low-caseload HIV prescriber, I was worried I wouldn't be able to follow the science and intricate complexities of antiretroviral prescribing. I didn't need to be concerned. The message was that we need to progress more at a political and social level to "End HIV" in our region. We have enough evidence in the basic science of HIV and therapeutics. We don't need more statistics to get it done. We need a greater understanding of social science.
Day one at APAAC 2018 drew to a close with a discussion regarding the recently issued WHO statement regarding the safety of dolutegravir in pregnancy.
BHIVA statement on Potential Safety Signal in Infants Born to Women Conceiving on Dolutegravir (on behalf of the BHIVA HIV in Pregnancy Guidelines Committee) [22 May 2018]
The conference opened with a very heartfelt, moving and inspiring tribute to the late Professor David Cooper by close colleagues Dr Praphan Phanuphak from the Thai Red Cross AIDS Research Centre and Dr Mark Boyd From the University Of Adelaide. Professor Cooper not only founded the internationally renowned Kirby institute, but was the first to campaign for HIV research in Australia in the 1980’s. Since then he continued until his passing to be a dedicated and globally respected researcher and advocate for HIV research in Australia and abroad; especially in the Asia Pacific region where he was involved with the development of the HIV-NAT research centre in Bangkok.
