HIV Cascade of Care: Closing the Gap

About the Program

HIV Cascade of Care: Closing the Gap took place on 7 June 2023 at the Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre in Singapore, prior to APACC 2023.

Effective and well-tolerated antiretroviral therapy (ART) has transformed HIV into a manageable lifelong condition and provided an effective tool for the prevention of new infections setting the stage to achieve the promise of an HIV-free generation. But, what do we need to end the HIV epidemic?

Remarkable global efforts have set the strategic framework to achieve UNAIDS targets of 90% of people at risk or living with HIV to be linked to people-centered and context-specific integrated services. While national programs in certain regions and countries are advanced toward achieving the targets, others are lagging. This uneven progress highlights a need to exchange experiences on successful strategies, and ultimately strengthen the universal response.

Towards 95 % of people know their status. Stigma, often internalized by PLWH, largely affects timely diagnosis due to a fear of the public perception of HIV-positive status, further increasing the gap in the diagnosis and treatment cascade. Self-testing options and community-led services, on the other hand, are reducing this barrier facilitating the uptake of testing.

Towards 95 % of people with known status initiate treatment. Rapid start, the U=U principle, simplification of treatment, and peer-support intervention are the cornerstone to improve the uptake of HIV treatment.

Towards 95 % of people on the treatment are virally suppressed. New long-acting formulations are designed to reduce the daily pill burden experienced by PLWH, and tackle issues around compromised adherence. Nevertheless, one size does not fit all, and differentiated models of care are key to maintaining PLWH in care.

Finally, a lifelong chronic condition is inevitably associated with an increased risk of depression, and related mental health issues that require support to sustain a good quality of life and well-being of PLWH. HIV stigma has been linked to depression, psychological distress, compromised adherence to therapy, and overall poor treatment outcome and quality of life, underscoring the importance to discuss strategies and mechanisms to reduce the stigma in the context of social and cultural milieus.

To support these global efforts and bring them a step closer to PLWH, we organize a regional series “HIV Cascade of Care: Closing the Gap”. The program aims to address the remaining gaps toward an HIV-free generation and the strategies to close those gaps considering differences in epidemiology patterns, healthcare settings, and social milieus. Importantly, in contrast to the existing initiative, the spotlight of this program is on healthcare service delivery, rather than public health strategies. It provides a much-needed forum to exchange experience and extrapolate successful examples of comprehensive HIV care and service to achieve UNAIDS targets and ultimately end the HIV epidemic.

General Information

Practical Information