SALDRU’s Dr. Brendan Maughan-Brown attended the 22nd International AIDS Conference, 23-27 July 2018, Amsterdam, to present research on two studies examining the socioeconomic, behavioural and psychosocial factors influencing the uptake of antiretroviral therapy.
Maughan-Brown presented a poster summarizing findings of a Cape Town based study: Factors affecting linkage to HIV care and ART initiation following referral for ART by a mobile health clinic in South Africa: Evidence from a mixed-methods study. He also present results from a study conducted in KwaZulu-Natal: Poor rates of linkage to HIV care and treatment uptake after home-based HIV testing among 15-49 year-old men and women in a high HIV prevalence setting in South Africa.
The conference had multiple objectives that include sharing new research and knowledge on HIV, promoting global collaboration and human rights, as well as activating and galvanizing political commitment and accountability.
The conference has highlighted that the total number of new HIV infections per year has declined in many, but not all, countries and not to the extent hoped. In 2017, there were 1.8 million [1.4 million–2.4 million] new HIV infections globally. We are not on target to reach the United Nations 2020 and 2030 goals. Urgent efforts are needed to rejuvenate a flagging HIV response as the epidemic is at serious risk of rebounding. There is a call for a renewed focus on primary prevention and related research.