IAC 2010
IAC 2010
The International AIDS Conference (IAC) is the premier gathering for those working in the field of HIV, as well as policy makers, persons living with HIV/AIDS, and other individuals committed to ending the pandemic. It is a chance to assess where we are, evaluate recent scientific developments and lessons learned, and collectively chart a course forward.
This year, our goal was to bring attention to two issues central to the fight against HIV/AIDS - TB & Women and TB-HIV Co-Infection.
Women and TB: Taking a Look at a Neglected Issue
Though tuberculosis is the third leading killer of adult women worldwide, TB has long been neglected as a women’s health issue. Women face particular barriers to diagnosis and care, and their experience of the disease can be different than men’s. In addition to TB’s unique medical and health impacts on women, a TB diagnosis can also bring with it intense stigma that disproportionately affects women and girls.
In addition to the launch of our new report Women and TB: Taking a Look at a Neglected Issue, we also be hosted a panel discussion entitled “Slipping Through the Cracks: Girls, Women, and Infectious Diseases”. This panel will addressed how infectious diseases disproportionately impact women’s health by summarizing the latest trends, identifying biological and social drivers, and discussing treatment barriers. Panelists included Carol Nawina (National Coordinator of the Community Initiative for Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS & Malaria), Rania Ismail (Stop TB Ambassador for Jordan), Stephen Lewis (Chair of the Board for the Stephen Lewis Foundation and Co-Director of AIDS-Free World), and Theresa Shaver (Director of the White Ribbon Alliance).
TB-HIV Co-Infection
MOSOTOS
Given the 2010 deadline for universal access set by world leaders, the stage was set for a major activist push at this year’s IAC. The goal of MOSOTOS is to juxtapose all the talk at the conference with the massive lack of recent action. We hope to continue this movement towards action over talk as we continue the fight against HIV/AIDS.
Learn more about MOSOTOS
The Screening Scandal
ACTION also highlighted the fact that only 4.1 percent are screened for TB, even though TB is the leading infectious killer of PLHAs. Nearly 25 percent of PLHA eventually die from TB because they are not tested for it and then properly treated.
Living With AIDS, Dying of TB (Press Release)
