. The most recent UNAIDS estimates of the global burden of HIV are that 36.7 million people are living with HIV-1 infection worldwide and 25.5 million of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. Moreover, 70% of new infections annually are occurring in the same region of the world. Although there are many measures in place to tackle the HIV disease burden in Africa there remains much work to do in terms of training local physicians and scientists in regard to diagnosis, treatment, and management of individuals with HIV-1 infection, as well as in respect to evidence-informed public health responses and implementation science to determine the most cost-effective use of financial and human resources. In addition, despite treatment is likely having an important impact on slowing HIV transmission, alone it will not turn the epidemic on its head. HIV prevention remains critical to stem the tide of HIV. In fact, there is an alarming prediction that we may be facing a second AIDS epidemic in the next 12 years due to 1) increased drug resistance of the transmitted virus strain, 2) increased cost and limited availability of 2nd and 3rd line treatments, and 3) decreased funding from develop countries to prevent the AIDS epidemic. Taking together all these factors, the total number of people living with AIDS my increase by 2 million/year to reach a staggering number of more than 50 million by 2030. The 2018 INTEREST Conference, known as the `African CROI', will bring together scientists involved in HIV treatment, pathogenesis, and prevention research in resource-limited settings in Africa to share pivotal findings, promote collaboration, and transfer experiences across several fields and many continents. Since 2007, 11 successful annual meetings have been convened in Uganda, Senegal (twice), Zambia (twice), Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Zimbabwe, and Cameroon. Planning and organization of the conference is overseen by the Amsterdam Institute of Global Health and Development. Catherine Hankins MD PhD chairs INTEREST's international organizing committee (IOC) and is the Scientific Chair of INTEREST. The Local Chair for 2018 INTEREST conference will be Dr. Sabin MD PhD, Chair of the HIV division at the Ministry of Health in Rwanda. The organizers of the 2018 INTEREST Conference will pursue the following objectives: 1) To provide cutting-edge knowledge in the fields of treatment, pathogenesis, and prevention of HIV-1, with respect to adults, adolescents, and children living with HIV in Africa, to contribute to achieving the 90-90-90 viral suppression goal and to prevent a 2nd great pandemic. 2) To foster new research interactions among leading investigators and those who represent the future scientific leadership for health care and research on the African continent.# # #
. There is a current increasing effort to provide treatment and prevention strategies for individual living with HIV-1 infections in African countries that allow the control of the local epidemic. The 2018 INTEREST Conference will mainly address the scientific training of young African clinicians and scientists whose scope of is to implement: 1) early diagnosis of HIV-1 infection and provide clinical care; 2) correct anti-retroviral treatment; 3) prevention strategies. The scientific training of the young African investigators will complement the ongoing efforts to develop local policy and improve care conditions. The three-day scientific Workshop will facilitate fostering local and international scientific interactions and expose the young African scientists to the state-of-the art knowledge in the specific areas of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of HIV-1 infection. Importantly, during this event, the invited international experts will closely interact with the young investigators to discuss scientific proposal and provide advises on choices and opportunities for career development as well as opportunities for scientific collaborations. !
