SUMMARY: The XVIII International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2010) will take place next week, July 18-23, in Vienna, Austria. This year's theme -- "Rights Here, Rights Now" -- reflects the emphasis on human rights and legal protections for people living with HIV/AIDS. HIVandHepatitis.com will provide coverage of the conference starting with the July 20 edition.

The International AIDS Conference is held every other summer, alternating with the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.

The meeting, which is expected to draw more than 20,000 participants, is being held for the first time in Eastern Europe, where injection drug use is a major driver of the HIV/AIDS epidemic. As such, many sessions will focus on issues affecting drug users as well as the impact of national and international drug policies. The official conference statement -- the Vienna Declaration -- stresses the importance of science-based drug policies in promoting HIV prevention and care.

Another key theme this year is HIV among men who have sex with men. Gay and bisexual men continue to bear the brunt of the epidemic in high-income countries. In low-income regions, HIV/AIDS policies and services have too often ignored gay and bisexual men, who face growing persecution and violence in certain countries.

HIV and Hepatitis.com will also report on the IAS 2-day pre-conference workshop entitled "Towards a Cure: HIV Reservoirs and Strategies to Control Them."

AIDS 2010 is not expected to feature major news regarding new antiretroviral drugs in late-stage development, but a number of presentations will look at HIV eradication efforts and the benefits of early therapy to manage the detrimental effects of even low levels of residual virus.

In addition to regular conference coverage articles, readers can follow "HIVandHepatitis" on Twitter for breaking news. The site will also feature CMEs.

Further information, including the full conference program, webcasts of selected sessions, and oral and poster abstracts (viewable starting at the time of presentation), is available at www.aids2010.org.

7/16/10

Source
XVIII International AIDS Conference. www.aids2010.org.