2018 HIV Drug Therapy HIV Treatment

A report on Julia Del Amo’s presentation “HIV and Migration: a renewed challenge”

Julia del Amo challenged our assumptions about HIV and migrants, with particular focus on Europe. Some migrants arrive to their destination country already living with HIV, either acquiring it in their port of origin or during their journey. However, the number of men who acquire HIV after they migrate is startling. 

There are steadily increasing numbers of MSM who are diagnosed within the first year of living in their destination country (up 58% since 2007), while people who are heterosexual and newly diagnosed is declining (down 36% from 2007).  Moreover, in migrants from sub-Saharan Africa who are found to have HIV a year after arrival, approximately 72% of MSM and 50% of heterosexual migrants acquired HIV post-migration. This is determined using a validated method of estimating acquisition. 

A report on Caroline Foster’s presentation “Adolescent lives matter: Staying with it - novel ways to increase adolescent adherence” 

In this presentation Caroline, who works at the 900 Youth Clinic at St Mary’s Hospital London, spoke specifically about the challenges around adherence with HIV-positive young people aged 16-24 who are either newly diagnosed or transitioning from children’s services.  

One of my key learnings from this session is that poor adherence in adolescents is normal, with poor adherence in those on ARVs at around 20% in London. Adherence patterns are also similar across disease types. For example, this pattern of reduced adherence in PLWH around puberty and the teenage years is equally matched with those living with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, corroborated by reduced glucose control during such years.