Ezra is a public health advocate with a background in combating HIV-related stigma and contributing to the innovation of the HIV Stigma Index. His experience in Monitoring and Evaluation of HIV/TB care and treatment projects drives his evidence-based approach and supports his effort to integrate HIV prevention efforts with pandemic preparedness activities. As an AVAC 2024 Advocacy Fellow, Ezra aims to bolster Uganda’s response to emerging pandemic threats. As the country develops the New Action Plan for Health and Security, a unique opportunity is presented for budget advocacy and monitoring compliance with International Health Regulations. Through collaborative efforts, and fostering community engagement, Ezra hopes his project can empower vulnerable populations and build resilience against future health crises in our push for global health equity.
Ezra Meme
April Webinars!
This month we will host six webinars on a wide range of important issues, including choice in HIV prevention, PrEP in cisgender women, criminalization and HIV, syphilis in the US and DoxyPEP. Scroll down for what’s coming up later this week and later this month.
The More We Know: Evolving our understanding of PrEP for cisgender women
April 5, 9:00 – 10:30 am EST
Science and real-world experience continue to demand a re-assessment of our collective understanding of the safety and effectiveness of PrEP options for women, including oral, vaginal ring, and injectable options. Join us, Jeanne Marrazzo of NIAID, Joyce Ng’ang’a of WACI Health and Raniyah Copeland of Equity & Impact Solutions for a conversation with The Choice Agenda.
Watching the Watcher: Intersections of surveillance and criminalization in HIV and reproductive health care
April 9, 10:00 – 11:30 am EST
Positive Women’s Network-USA and The Choice Agenda invite you to join us for a webinar featuring leaders in digital technology, HIV advocacy, and abortion criminalization to examine the existential threat of our ongoing blurred boundaries between public health and policing.
STI Awareness Week is April 14 – 20!
Join us for two webinars focused on syphilis and DoxyPEP. These webinars are intended for health care providers, civil society organizations, public health officials, and others working in the STI/HIV fields.
Discussing Early Results from the SEARCH Dynamic Choice Study
April 23, 10:00 – 11:30 am EST
Join AVAC and Professor Moses Kamya of Makerere University to find out why the early results of the SEARCH Dynamic Choice study were some of the most exciting to come out of CROI in 2024.
Conducted in Kenya and Uganda, the study offered oral PrEP, PEP or injectable cabotegravir to both men and women, and an option to switch products.
We Can’t End HIV in the United States Without Equitable PrEP Access: strategies for success
April 26, 1:00 – 2:30 pm EST
Join HIVMA, PrEP4All and The Choice Agenda, as we assess some of the key challenges to delivering PrEP in the United States equitably, including cost, the complexities of our health care system, and other factors that inhibit uptake amongst the most vulnerable communities. Strategies to address these challenges will be offered, with lots of time for QA, discussion and much-needed debate. Please join us!
Our Partnership Network
Capability Statement
AVAC’s greatest strengths lie in its ability to convene diverse stakeholders in the fight against HIV and its dedication to bolstering civil society coalitions for effective advocacy.
STIWatch Newsletter, March 2024
The first quarter of 2024 ends with new research and questions on the future directions of STI vaccines and diagnostics. The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was the setting for positive news on the potential for early use of doxycycline to prevent STIs (DoxyPEP) in real-world settings and questions about its effectiveness in cisgender women given major evidence gaps. Important discussions and debates continued around the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as the field continues to grapple with the rollout of DoxyPEP. Presentations at CROI also highlighted the need for new diagnostics for syphilis as infections continue to increase globally and the need for STI advocacy efforts to ensure these infections get the attention and funding needed to develop vaccines and diagnostics that can prevent, detect, and treat these infections!
In January, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the STI surveillance data from 2022, which showed an increase in chlamydia and syphilis cases from 2021. Gonorrhea cases decreased between 2021 and 2022 by 9%. Alarmingly, 2022 congenital syphilis cases increased by 30% from 2021, signaling an urgent need for novel prevention, treatment, and testing methods.
In Australia, a group of researchers published a response to the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine’s October 2023 statement on the use of DoxyPEP in Australia. The authors point to the potential threat of increasing AMR and the urgent need to implement measures to monitor DoxyPEP use and its impact.
Read on for upcoming webinars, must-read resources supporting advocacy for improved funding and commitments for STI vaccines and diagnostics. Afterwards, test your knowledge with AVAC’s new STI Trivia quiz.
New Report! STIs: A Review of the 2022 Vaccine and Diagnostic R&D Pipeline and Investments
A new AVAC report tracks funding trends in vaccine and diagnostics R&D, and pipeline investments for some of the most common STIs, including chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and trichomoniasis. The report finds that STI research remains underfunded and neglected compared to other infectious diseases. Read the report to learn more.
STI Advocacy Updates
AVAC spoke with two cervical cancer advocates, Tamika Felder and Karen Nakawala, in January as part of its cervical cancer webinar series. Felder and Nakawala are breaking taboos and saving lives by empowering people to share their stories of survivorship and senseless loss.
Felder, founder of Cervivor, Inc., was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 25, and turned her struggle into a mission, providing resources and a platform for those affected by the disease. Her impactful work and advocacy inspired Nakawala to found the Teal Sisters Foundation in 2020, following her successful treatment for cervical cancer. To learn more about Tamika and Karen, watch AVACs cervical cancer webinar. Thank you, Tamika and Karen for all that you do!
January 18 marked HPV Awareness Day. AVAC and TogetHER for Health released an updated call to action to improve HPV vaccination among people living with HIV. In total, 31 organizations signed on to this call, urging global leadership to increase access to lifesaving HPV vaccines for people living with HIV.
Upcoming Events
STI Awareness Week is April 14 – 20!
Join us for two webinars focused on syphilis and DoxyPEP. These webinars are intended for health care providers, civil society organizations, public health officials, and others working in the STI/HIV fields.
September 2024 STI Conferences
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR TWO IMPORTANT STI CONFERENCES IN SEPTEMBER – WHICH UNFORTUNATELY ARE RUNNING CONCURRENTLY IN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD!
The 2024 STI Prevention Conference will bring 1,200 conference attendees to Atlanta, Georgia, from September 16-19, 2024. Abstracts are being accepted until March 29.
The 25th IUSTI World Congress will take place September 17-20, 2024, in Sydney, Australia, and provide an opportunity to meet, discuss and learn about the latest research and innovation in sexual and reproductive health.
What We’re Reading and Resources
- Testing, testing: the advancing diagnostics for sexually transmitted infections. Diagnostics are urgently needed to detect STIs and this article examines several that are on the horizon. A US-Based company, Qvin is developing the Q-pad, a diagnostic menstrual pad with a removable strip to identify signs of diabetes and symptoms of high-risk human papillomavirus. Daye, a UK based gynecological start-up, launched a diagnostic product that is a tampon with the ability to screen for STIs. These advancements are exciting and serve as a reminder that advocacy is needed to ensure these products get to the people who need them.
- CARB-X Funds Visyby Medical to Develop a portable rapid diagnostic for Gonorrhea Including Antibiotic Susceptibility Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) will award up to US$1.8 million to biotechnology company, Visby Medical, to develop a portable rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic to detect gonorrhea and its susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, a former frontline oral antibiotic that can no longer treat gonorrhea infections resistant to this medication. Funding will also support development of a test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis in men based on urine samples.
- Syphilis Complicating Pregnancy and Congenital Syphilis. This manuscript provides a review of syphilis during pregnancy and congenital syphilis. As syphilis and congenital syphilis infections continue to rise, novel approaches are needed to detect, prevent, and treat infections. Because syphilis disproportionately affects populations with limited access to healthcare, new and improved diagnostics and therapeutics will need to be embedded within a health framework that prioritizes equity to improve the diagnosis and treatment of congenital syphilis, a preventable disease.
- Near-to-patient-testing to inform targeted antibiotic use for sexually transmitted infections in a public sexual health clinic: the NEPTUNE cohort study. This study examines the effectiveness of a novel lateral flow assay for point-of-care detection of gonorrhea among people with symptoms. Lateral flow assays are tests that can detect the presence of proteins or antigens for specific infections, like COVID-19 and HIV. This test had excellent clinical sensitivity and specificity in detecting gonorrhea among male and female patients with symptoms. A test like this could provide an important tool to better detect infections in settings without direct access to laboratory testing and reduce overtreatment.
- Breaking Barriers in STI Clinical Management: Addressing Resistance Challenges and Incorporating New Diagnostic Approaches. This on-demand webinar features Dr. Van Der Pol and Dr. William Geisler who share their insights on crucial aspects of STI clinical management, focusing on resistance challenges and new diagnostic approaches.
To learn more about AVAC’s STI Program, visit STIWatch.org and avac.org/sti. Email sti@avac.org for questions or additional information. And to sign up for specific updates on STIs, click here.
STIWatch Newsletter, March 2024
The first quarter of 2024 ends with new research and questions on the future directions of STI vaccines and diagnostics. The Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was the setting for positive news on the potential for early use of doxycycline to prevent STIs (DoxyPEP) in real-world settings and questions about its effectiveness in cisgender women given major evidence gaps. Important discussions and debates continued around the issue of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), as the field continues to grapple with the rollout of DoxyPEP. Presentations at CROI also highlighted the need for new diagnostics for syphilis as infections continue to increase globally and the need for STI advocacy efforts to ensure these infections get the attention and funding needed to develop vaccines and diagnostics that can prevent, detect, and treat these infections!
In January, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released the STI surveillance data from 2022, which showed an increase in chlamydia and syphilis cases from 2021. Gonorrhea cases decreased between 2021 and 2022 by 9%. Alarmingly, 2022 congenital syphilis cases increased by 30% from 2021, signaling an urgent need for novel prevention, treatment, and testing methods.
In Australia, a group of researchers published a response to the Australasian Society for HIV, Viral Hepatitis and Sexual Health Medicine’s October 2023 statement on the use of DoxyPEP in Australia. The authors point to the potential threat of increasing AMR and the urgent need to implement measures to monitor DoxyPEP use and its impact.
Read on for upcoming webinars, must-read resources supporting advocacy for improved funding and commitments for STI vaccines and diagnostics. Afterwards, test your knowledge with AVAC’s new STI Trivia quiz.
New Report! STIs: A Review of the 2022 Vaccine and Diagnostic R&D Pipeline and Investments
A new AVAC report tracks funding trends in vaccine and diagnostics R&D, and pipeline investments for some of the most common STIs, including chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and trichomoniasis. The report finds that STI research remains underfunded and neglected compared to other infectious diseases. Read the report to learn more.
STI Advocacy Updates
AVAC spoke with two cervical cancer advocates, Tamika Felder and Karen Nakawala, in January as part of its cervical cancer webinar series. Felder and Nakawala are breaking taboos and saving lives by empowering people to share their stories of survivorship and senseless loss.
Felder, founder of Cervivor, Inc., was diagnosed with cervical cancer at 25, and turned her struggle into a mission, providing resources and a platform for those affected by the disease. Her impactful work and advocacy inspired Nakawala to found the Teal Sisters Foundation in 2020, following her successful treatment for cervical cancer. To learn more about Tamika and Karen, watch AVACs cervical cancer webinar. Thank you, Tamika and Karen for all that you do!
January 18 marked HPV Awareness Day. AVAC and TogetHER for Health released an updated call to action to improve HPV vaccination among people living with HIV. In total, 31 organizations signed on to this call, urging global leadership to increase access to lifesaving HPV vaccines for people living with HIV.
Upcoming Events
STI Awareness Week is April 14 – 20!
Join us for two webinars focused on syphilis and DoxyPEP. These webinars are intended for health care providers, civil society organizations, public health officials, and others working in the STI/HIV fields.
September 2024 STI Conferences
Registration is now open for two important STI conferences in September – which unfortunately are running concurrently in different parts of the world!
The 2024 STI Prevention Conference will bring 1,200 conference attendees to Atlanta, Georgia, from September 16-19, 2024. Abstracts are being accepted until March 29.
The 25th IUSTI World Congress will take place September 17-20, 2024, in Sydney, Australia, and provide an opportunity to meet, discuss and learn about the latest research and innovation in sexual and reproductive health.
What We’re Reading and Resources
- Testing, testing: the advancing diagnostics for sexually transmitted infections. Diagnostics are urgently needed to detect STIs and this article examines several that are on the horizon. A US-Based company, Qvin is developing the Q-pad, a diagnostic menstrual pad with a removable strip to identify signs of diabetes and symptoms of high-risk human papillomavirus. Daye, a UK based gynecological start-up, launched a diagnostic product that is a tampon with the ability to screen for STIs. These advancements are exciting and serve as a reminder that advocacy is needed to ensure these products get to the people who need them.
- CARB-X Funds Visyby Medical to Develop a portable rapid diagnostic for Gonorrhea Including Antibiotic Susceptibility Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) will award up to US$1.8 million to biotechnology company, Visby Medical, to develop a portable rapid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic to detect gonorrhea and its susceptibility to ciprofloxacin, a former frontline oral antibiotic that can no longer treat gonorrhea infections resistant to this medication. Funding will also support development of a test for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis in men based on urine samples.
- Syphilis Complicating Pregnancy and Congenital Syphilis. This manuscript provides a review of syphilis during pregnancy and congenital syphilis. As syphilis and congenital syphilis infections continue to rise, novel approaches are needed to detect, prevent, and treat infections. Because syphilis disproportionately affects populations with limited access to healthcare, new and improved diagnostics and therapeutics will need to be embedded within a health framework that prioritizes equity to improve the diagnosis and treatment of congenital syphilis, a preventable disease.
- Near-to-patient-testing to inform targeted antibiotic use for sexually transmitted infections in a public sexual health clinic: the NEPTUNE cohort study. This study examines the effectiveness of a novel lateral flow assay for point-of-care detection of gonorrhea among people with symptoms. Lateral flow assays are tests that can detect the presence of proteins or antigens for specific infections, like COVID-19 and HIV. This test had excellent clinical sensitivity and specificity in detecting gonorrhea among male and female patients with symptoms. A test like this could provide an important tool to better detect infections in settings without direct access to laboratory testing and reduce overtreatment.
- Breaking Barriers in STI Clinical Management: Addressing Resistance Challenges and Incorporating New Diagnostic Approaches. This on-demand webinar features Dr. Van Der Pol and Dr. William Geisler who share their insights on crucial aspects of STI clinical management, focusing on resistance challenges and new diagnostic approaches.
To learn more about AVAC’s STI Program, visit STIWatch.org and avac.org/sti. Email sti@avac.org for questions or additional information. And to sign up for specific updates on STIs, click here.
New Podcast Episode: Decolonizing Global Health
Dear Advocate,
Investing in the long-term success of African leadership is essential to breaking cycles that perpetuate inequity and that stall progress in the HIV response. In our newest episode of PxPulse, we explore why and how the decisions that shape global health must be made by those facing the greatest risks. As the world evaluates the pandemic response and debates on decolonizing global health gain momentum, equity in global health has never been more urgent.
For more than seven years, COMPASS Africa, a civil society coalition of 29 organizations working in three countries as well as regionally and globally, has used data-driven advocacy to improve the HIV response with high-impact campaigns. In January, the coalition underwent a major transition, with Pangaea Zimbabwe assuming the role of secretariat (previously held by AVAC), marking a historic milestone in the development of innovative models for power-sharing in coalition and an important step toward decolonizing global health. These changes in COMPASS come as other efforts, such as negotiations on the Pandemic Accord, are struggling to advance, uphold or safeguard equity.
Now is the time to test new models. In Decolonizing Global Health: Dr. Madhukar Pai and COMPASS Africa Tell Us Why and How, we explore what it takes to invest in equity and power sharing.
New Episode of PxPulse!
This episode of PxPulse features global health leader, Dr. Madhukar Pai, along with two leaders of COMPASS Africa, Francis Luwole and Barbra Ncube, talking about new models of power-sharing.
Listen now!
Tune in to Hear
- Dr. Madhu Pai, a Canada Research Chair of Epidemiology & Global Health at McGill University and Co-Editor-in-Chief of PLOS Global Health
- Francis Luwole is the Tanzania Country Coordinator for COMPASS Africa
- Barbra Ncube is Programs Quality Coordinator for Pangaea Zimbabwe and member of COMPASS Africa
Join the Conversation
To continue the conversation, register for the March 26 Choice Agenda webinar, Decolonizing Global Public Health: Exploring the how, from now, til as long as it takes.
Press Release
Funding for HIV Survives Extreme Cuts Proposed By House Republicans
Final FY24 Bill Includes Calls for HHS/CDC to Increase PrEP Access
21 March 2024 – PrEP4All, AVAC, HIVMA, and the PrEP in Black America coalition celebrate Congress’ decision to both fund domestic HIV programs at the same level as last year and to lift up calls for a National PrEP Program. The final 2024 Health and Human Services bill rejects extreme cuts to HIV funding proposed by House Republicans in July of last year. The organizations have led the charge on the #SaveHIVFunding campaign following efforts to eliminate $767M in critical funds to end HIV as an epidemic. We additionally thank House and Senate LHHS Appropriations Subcommittee leaders Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) and Representatives Robert Aderholt (R-AL) and Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) for working to ensure an effective and ultimately bipartisan outcome.
“Our movement for a National PrEP Program and to end HIV as an epidemic remains strong,” says PrEP4All Executive Director Jeremiah Johnson. “The final bill ultimately shows strong bipartisan support for HIV funding, including PrEP, and rejects the flawed effort by some House Republicans to zero out the Ending the HIV Epidemic Program. We created the #SaveHIVFunding campaign in collaboration with AVAC, HIVMA, and PrEP in Black America knowing that everyone in Congress needed to hear from community advocates in order to be successful in fighting these unnecessary deep cuts. Without this work and the concerted and brilliant efforts of so many HIV organizations within the Federal AIDS Policy Partnership, this win would not have been possible.”
The outcome means that a previous $25M increase going toward CDC’s efforts to improve equitable PrEP access will be preserved, which is critical as advocates continue to engage with CDC on ways to establish a foundation for a National PrEP Program using existing funds. Congress also included final report language directing CDC to increase access to PrEP and cited previous calls from the Senate to establish the “building blocks of a national program to increase awareness of PrEP, increase access to PrEP medication, [and] laboratory services…”
“This outcome is a win for Black communities across the nation who are disproportionately impacted by HIV. Making life-saving treatment and prevention a reality for Black Americans is a possibility because of our relentless advocacy work to #SaveHIVFunding,” says Raniyah Copeland, Founding member of the PrEP in Black America Coalition and Founder of Equity Impact Solutions.
“This has been a long process, and we are grateful to have an outcome that leaves us on firm footing to realize the vision of a National PrEP Program,” says Andrea Weddle of HIVMA. “However, the fight for FY25 is already upon us following this prolonged budget process; meaning that advocates will have to remain vigilant, fight to protect our existing funding, and continue to ensure a clear, immediate, and fully funded pathway toward equitable PrEP access.”
“This is very encouraging news for PrEP advocates, especially following the President’s reintroduction of his proposal for a National PrEP Program last week.” Explains John Meade, Senior Program Manager for Policy at AVAC . “Combined with HIV/AIDS housing advocates’ victory in achieving an FY24 funding increase, I am so proud of our movement and our ability to rally in the face of these threats.”
A National PrEP Program would be a cost effective means to achieve our national goal of Ending the HIV Epidemic by 2030. Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is a 99% effective use of medication to prevent HIV. Unfortunately 64% of people who could benefit from PrEP do not have access to it. A new study shows that states with the highest PrEP coverage showed an annual percentage decrease in HIV diagnoses of 8% from 2012 – 2021. In contrast, states with low PrEP coverage increased 2% annually. A National PrEP Program will increase access among people who could benefit and address major disparities in access related to race, gender and geographic location. “In the current political environment, this Congressional action is especially noteworthy. But we must never confuse this progress with success; our fights for funding, equity and impact in treating and preventing this epidemic must continue, and funding and implementing a national PrEP program at scale and with urgency remains a huge priority,” said Mitchell Warren, Executive Director of AVAC.
Read the full press release here.
CROI Roundup – Highlights from Monday
The highs and lows of great science but profound inequities were front and center on the first official day of CROI 2024. From increasing data on demonstrating the efficacy of DoxyPEP (doxycycline as post-exposure prophylaxis) against some sexually transmitted infections (STIs); and advances in the promise of long-acting PrEP; to data that reinforces the reliability of affordable rapid testing to screen for HIV— Monday showcased vitally important scientific insights.
Sessions throughout the day, as well as at Sunday’s opening session, reminded all participants that every one of the scientic advances presented at CROI will fail, unless the voices of people who need solutions are heard, amplified and elevated and allowed to lead the discussions.
Social and behavioral researchers discuss equity with R&D during CROI Community Breakfast Talk
Monday’s Community Breakfast Club focused on social and behavioral science at CROI – disciplines that have often been marginalized. Speakers pointed out the ongoing need for more of this essential research at CROI. “As much as we try to discover new devices, they need to reach people to have impact. For example, long acting injectables have not worked in real life because we’ve neglected the complexity of rolling [them] out,” said LaRon Nelson, of the Yale School of Nursing. And Sari Reisner, an epidemiologist at the University of Michigan underscored that the outcomes of research are directly tied to the level of involvement from communities whom research is ultimately meant to serve. Don’t miss two more days of programming, sign up here.
The HIV vaccine search continues
Barney Graham and Julie McElrath both provided overviews of three decades of HIV vaccine research, and its current status. Graham explained in his opening session Fields Lecture how insights on HIV structure paved the way for rapid understanding of the SARS-COV-2 and resulting vaccines.
And in her Monday plenary, McElrath summarized the collective knowledge gained from the ten vaccine efficacy trials that have been conducted over the past 20 years. (And check out our new summary graphic of the efficacy trials to date.) She then outlined the key strategies now moving forward–inducing broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs), inducing supplementary CD8+ T-cell responses, and delivering bNAbs as passive protection while learning about vaccine design. Further sessions dug into finer details of early-stage investigations—updates on germline-targeting trials, which use a series of vaccines to prompt the body to develop precursors that lead to bNAbs; and newer adjuvants that enhance the germline targeting strategy
Even longer long-acting PrEP products?
A longer-acting injectable cabotegravir for prevention (injectable CAB) has made it through a phase 1 safety and tolerability study. ViiV, the maker of the currently approved injectable cabotegravir, presented findings on a new formulation that could double the time between intramuscular jabs, from two to four months, potentially making it a three-dose annual intervention, instead of six doses.
Merck also presented data on the safety and pharmacokinetic profile of MK-8527, a product that they are hoping to develop as a monthly pill to prevent HIV. They reported the dose was safe, well-tolerated and sufficient to show anti-viral activity against HIV. The product is currently in a phase 2 trial in several countries globally; and later phase studies would be needed to demonstrate efficacy. Check out our prevention product timeline here.
DoxyPEP brings down incidence of some STIs. But what else do we need to know?
Studies corroborated the promise of DoxyPEP to bring down STIs. The DoxyVAC study showed reduced incidence of chlamydia and syphilis and some reduction of gonorrhea. But a vaccine against meningococcal disease (the 4CMenB vaccine) did not show a reduction in gonorrhea incidence, which was seen in an earlier phase of the research. Studies out of San Francisco of men who have sex with men and trans women showed a high demand for DoxyPEP among PrEP users and STI incidence decline. But there remain many questions on DoxyPEP. More data is needed for use among cisgender women, as well as research among communities in low-income countries. Many researchers and advocates are calling for more data on DoxyPEP’s potential to increase antimicrobial resistance (AMR)—which needs more attention as guidelines accelerate DoxyPEP use. Join us in April for an STI Awareness week webinar series where Fabian Kong, Annie Luetkemeyer, and Connie Celum will lead a discussion on AMR, DoxyPEP and more. Sign up here to receive updates, www.avac.org/signup.
Can we eliminate HPV?
In what proved to be one of the most elegant plenaries ever delivered, Nelly Mugo from the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) provided a remarkable presentation on Shall We Reach Human Papillomavirus Elimination in the Face of Inequity? Her presentation reinforced the essential need to link the best possible science with deep and durable community engagement. And it was quite fitting that she delivered her talk on HPV Awareness Day, when AVAC, TogetHER for Health and partners launched a call to action for global leadership to increase access to lifesaving HPV vaccines for people living with HIV.
Stay tuned for more updates from AVAC as we track the research and discussion at #CROI2024, and don’t forget to join us Tuesday and Wednesday for the Community Breakfast Clubs.
STIs: A Review of the 2022 Vaccine and Diagnostic R&D Pipeline and Investments
This report examines disbursements by the U.S. NIH and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and is one of few reports to track funding trends in vaccine and diagnostics R&D, and pipeline investments for some of the most common STIs, including chlamydia, genital herpes, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), syphilis, and trichomoniasis.
AVAC in Conversation with NIAID’s Jeanne Marrazzo
The new director of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo joined AVAC Executive Director in conversation.