IAS 2021: Need for Solidarity and cooperation in the fight against Infectious diseases

“A positive HIV test no longer means a death sentence, thanks to scientific inquiry, including dogged determination of many International AIDS Society members.”

This is a powerful statement by the International AIDS Society (IAS) President and IAS 2021 Co-Chair Professor Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman during the 11th IAS conference on HIV Science which is on-going vitually.

In her opening remarks, Professor Adeeba says its 40 years since the first reported cases of the disease now called AIDS, one of the worst pandemics in human history which so far has claimed nearly 35 million people.

“No one knows the cruel legacy of AIDS better than our community of scientists, health providers, advocates and populations most affected and over the past 40 years, some progress has been realized thanks to scientific inquiry where now a mother living with HIV can give birth without passing it on to her child and an undetectable viral load un transmittable between partners for each year our treatment and prevention efforts improve as we continue to unlock the mysteries of how HIV interacts with the human body.” She says, adding that the response to covid-19 has leveraged HIV Science to advance with speed for in barely a year there are several strong vaccines.

Professor Adeeba urges the public to follow the science for it has never been more important, saying that just as 40 years of HIV experience informed the covid-19 response, the scientific breakthroughs and political will achieved in that response must now propel the efforts to end HIV.

She discourages politicizing science for it can drive misinformation and, ultimately, distrust.

According to Hendrik Streeck, IAS 2021 Conference Local Co-Chair, the precise impact of covid-19 pandemic on HIV and AIDS is not known, but what is already known is nothing alarming. He says in the year of celebrating the tragic anniversary of the first diagnosed cases of HIV and AIDS, only 8 HIV vaccines have entered phase iii, even though its 40 years into the pandemic.

Streeck says, while HIV cannot be compared to SARS-CoV2 in structure and complexity, with political will, much can be achieved in the fight against HIV and AIDS for its still a global problem; adding that the time to end AIDS is now fro there is means and opportunity.

Federal Chancellor of Germany, Dr. Angela Merkel who under her leadership, Germany has championed international cooperation, pushing European and other donor countries to increase their commitments and secure billions to fight the spread of HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis worldwide, says infectious diseases confronts us with global challenges and so the fight against these diseases is only conceivable in the form of worldwide cooperation  which can only succeed when scientists and researchers communicate with one another freely and continuously.

She applauds international cooperation during the Covid-19 pandemic, that has enabled multiple effective vaccines to be developed in record time, however, she cites her dissatisfaction on how in the shadow of this pandemic, achievements made in the fight against HIV have slipped increasing sexual violence cases which in turn has led to an increase in HIV infection rates.

She stressed saying that AIDS must not be allowed to fade in the background due to covid-19 because the ongoing fight against AIDS too, can only succeed through global cooperation and the countries of this world can and must learn from each other.

From the panel discussion on “From pandemic to pandemic,” Dr. Anthony Fauci says that if there is a lesson learned, it’s that when dealing with a pandemic that involves everyone and anyone, the common enemy is the virus and not the people you have disagreed with, this therefore calls not only for the individual country, but the entire world to pull together and address a global pandemic because a global pandemic requires a global response.

“We have a moral obligation, for the rich countries of the world to make sure in real time how do we get vaccines to the low-and middle-income countries that don’t have the capability of getting them? Because these vaccines are absolutely life-saving vaccines.’ He says.