June 2009:

HIV Science Update

This was a fascinating update on progress towards developing an HIV vaccine, the development of microbicides (which women could use to protect themselves against HIV), pre-exposure prophylaxis and the use of male circumcision for HIV prevention. It also considered the use of treatment as prevention, following new evidence that treatment dramatically lowers infectiousness. Professor Robin Shattock of St George's, University of London and the leading HIV prevention professor in the UK, was one of the three speakers. Titise Kode, CEO of the African HIV Policy Network put the event in context with a description of the challenges in HIV prevention in the UK and abroad; and Sue Kinn, Research Manager at DFID gave an update of DFID funded research.