Mind the Gap: Filling knowledge gaps in Paediatric and Adolescent HIV for an AIDS free generation

I am reporting back from the IAS2017 session Mind the Gap: Filling knowledge gaps in Paediatric and Adolescent HIV for an AIDS free generation -- the first satellite session at 8 am on Sunday morning, well attended with standing room only.

This satellite, organised by the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation will launch the research agendas and discuss considerations emerging from the process such as the use of observational data, optimising clinical trials design, the roles of basic and implementation science, and the role of community engagement, with a focus on the meaningful engagement of youth.

As a General Practitioner previously involved with youth sexual health screens in North Queensland where there is a relatively large proportion of teenage patients, I found this session quite useful. 

The most useful discussions were personal anecdotes by the speakers and from questions asked by the audience.

One question was asked to Carlo André Oliveras Rodriguez from Adolescent HIV Treatment Coalition (ATC), Puerto Rico, regarding the use of non-monetary incentives. He described using transport and internet access as alternatives.

I have myself seen the impact of using monetary incentives as impacting on future testing and treatment and it was great to get alternatives.

The delegate next to me, from the London School of Hygiene, said that ethics committees strongly restricted them to the use of food and drink or transport only for incentives. 

There was a flyer in my welcome pack for a program in the United States called the Undetectables which also touched on incentives for maintaining an undetectable viral load.

Visit the website: www.liveundetectable.org

The discussions were mainly in the context of research but I would like to transfer this knowledge to youth engagement in primary care such as a youth drop in clinic.

They also discussed barriers such intellectually disabled youth and hearing impaired such as youth officers trained with this in mind.

They talked about some young people preferring twice daily smaller pills rather than once daily larger sized pills. But also that the options for treatment of younger people with low body weight were a barrier due to limited single pill combinations.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation host again another satellite session this afternoon with the goal of the satellite to raise awareness and facilitate discourse regarding adolescent-specific needs as a part of a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS care and treatment package.

See: Nonstop Journey: Delivering an Uninterrupted Continuum of HIV Services to Adolescents and Youth