Thursday, 9 June
Treat all: from policy to action—what will it take?
13:15 – 14:30
Venue: Conference Room 11
This session is cosponsored by Côte d’Ivoire, South Africa, Thailand and the United States of America
In 2015, the World Health Organization launched new recommendations on the use of antiretroviral medicines for treating and preventing HIV. It is now recommended that all people living with HIV be offered treatment, no matter their immune status. Evidence demonstrates that early initiation of antiretroviral therapy saves lives, improves health and prevents the transmission of HIV. With the new recommendation, all 37 million people living with HIV are eligible for antiretroviral therapy. However, in 2014 there were 17 million people living with HIV who did not know their HIV status and 22 million who were not accessing the antiretroviral therapy they need. To move from global guidance to country action requires focus on: early initiation of antiretroviral therapy; smarter HIV testing; differentiated and decentralized service delivery; improving adherence to treatment and retention in care; monitoring and preventing emergence of HIV drug resistance; expanding access to pre-exposure prophylaxis of HIV acquisition; and sustainable financing, including through national health budgets. This event aims to explore how best to rapidly expand and adapt treatment to reach all people living with HIV and to learn from the experiences of countries that are already committed to do so. Already a range of countries are adopting “treat all”’ recommendations. Their experiences can inform the expansion of treatment in other countries so as to reach those in greatest need and ensure equity in access.
Focal point: Andrew Ball, balla@who.int