In July, an important international conference takes place in Munich: the 25th International AIDS Conference, AIDS 2024. Most nurses, including those working in HIV care, could be forgiven for not knowing much about this key event because, traditionally, it has had very little nursing representation. Historically, these conferences have been momentous. For example, AIDS 1996 pivoted HIV treatment away from highly toxic but widely used treatments towards the much more effective ‘highly active antiretroviral therapy’ (HAART), or combination therapy. AIDS 2000 was the first major event of its kind held on the African continent (Durban, South Africa), and the beginning of a much better appreciation of the impact of HIV and AIDS in low-income countries. AIDS 2010 included the release of key recommendations from the International AIDS Society (IAS) around the need to start HIV treatment immediately on diagnosis.
At each event, held every 2 years, is a plethora of scientists, physicians, academics, politicians, funding donors, activists, and civil society. One positive development has been the growth of the ‘Global Village’, an open-access area outside the main conference, which in 2024 will include a wide range of diverse community-led events. But where are the nurses? Nurses have been at the forefront of the HIV response for decades, yet at this major event they will be scarce in the audience and even rarer on the podium. The AIDS 2022 report (IAS, 2022) mentioned ‘nursing’ a total of eight times, with none in an abstract title and only one describing a specifically nurse-led activity. Some international HIV nursing organisations, such as the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (ANAC), will try to remedy this imbalance at AIDS 2024 and plan a ‘nursing zone’ in the Global Village.
This brings us to a broader question: what's the impact on nursing of underinvestment in personal and professional development? A vibrant, assertive, knowledgeable, and empowered nursing workforce wields great influence on healthcare quality and the general wellbeing of people and populations. The International Council of Nurses (ICN) 2024 International Nurses Day report argued that there must be investment in nursing education, including ongoing learning,‘to equip nurses with the necessary knowledge, skills, and attributes to effectively address the current and future health challenges faced by populations’ (ICN, 2024). For nurses working in HIV, this should include meaningful engagement at key events such as AIDS 2024, to ensure nursing remains front and centre in the HIV response.
When nurses can attend important international conferences, they provide valuable feedback for colleagues. This year, the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) was held in Denver, Colorado, and the report by Helen Reynolds (S18) includes important updates on several HIV-related topics, including long-acting injectable treatments, new oral drugs, and combatting complications of HIV. The latter is especially important as HIV care becomes more involved in supporting people living longer and ageing with HIV.
An important development in HIV treatment likely to be extensively discussed at AIDS 2024 is injectable antiretroviral therapy. Linda Panton (S12) provides an overview of best practice in providing this form of treatment and considers the effects on the quality of life of people living with HIV, especially those unable to adhere to oral treatments.
One approach to improve our understanding of communities is hearing their personal stories. In this issue, Angelina Namiba et al (S4) describe a powerful project focusing on the resilience and lived experiences of Africans living with HIV, published in book form as Our Stories Told by Us (Namiba et al, 2023). Led by a group of African women, the project provides important insights through firsthand accounts into the perceptions and world views of a specific community.
For ICN (2024), nursing is the ‘backbone’ of healthcare systems. This must be underpinned by access to, learning from, and participating in, major conferences, meetings, and media outputs. In this era of austerity, let's not lose sight of this vital component in the profession's ongoing development.