Durban, South Africa. The DREAM Program of the Community of Sant’Egidio at AIDS2016

16 years later, the biennial event organized by the International AIDS Society returns to Durban, South Africa. The International AIDS Conference is one of the most important events in the world for the fight against HIV / AIDS: 18,000 delegates from all over the world including scientists, doctors, researchers, policy makers and NGOs are debating at a high level on the various topics regarding the fight against the virus.

Among them is also the DREAM Program of the Community of Sant’Egidio, which presented a few scientific studies regarding subjects of great epidemiological impact carried out together with the DREAM colleagues in Malawi and Mozambique, and in collaboration with various international institutions (“Non-communicable chronic diseases in HIV-infected patients in Malawi and the impact of antiretroviral therapy”, “TB diagnosis with combined point-of-care tests in HIV+ patients in Mozambique”, “Consequences of an adherence support program and genotypic resistance testing for second-line ART eligibility”, “Growth patterns of African breastfed children exposed to maternal combination antiretrovirals (cART) pre and postnatally”).

DREAM also participated in the pre-conference on tuberculosis. It displayed data from the research for the identification of optimal strategies for the diagnosis of TB in patients infected with HIV (today still an unresolved challenge in Africa), raising great interest from experts.

Furthermore DREAM was invited to make a speech at the pre-conference organized by Caritas, Catholic HIV & AIDS Network, Cathca, Cabrini Ministries and Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference. DREAM was presented as a best practice and a replicable model in order to achieve an effective service for treating HIV / AIDS in Africa. Moreover it was highlighted just how much DREAM represents a big support for the various Departments of Health of the countries it operates in.

The meeting in Durban is an important opportunity for sharing past experiences and best practices in order to speed up the elimination of the virus. The Secretary General of the United Nations opened the meeting stating: “May Durban 2016 mark the commitment towards a new era in which we finish what we started”. Yet again the DREAM Program of the Community of Sant’Egidio shares its long and efficient experience in this fight.