HIV in Europe 2009 Follow-up Meeting

Time: 2nd and 3rd of November 2009

Venue: The Nobel Forum, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden

Participants: more than 100 policy makers, health professionals and civil society representatives from 25 countries.

Conference Report

Conference Programme

Conference Objectives:

• To inform leaders, including key policy makers and donors, as to increase their commitment to ensure that HIV infected patients enter care earlier in the course of their infection than is currently the case.
• To provide opportunities for multi-stakeholder dialogue to develop creative solutions to unresolved challenges in research and implementation of HIV policies and programmes to improve early diagnosis and care of HIV across Europe.
• To increase public awareness of the problems associated with late presentation for HIV care.
• To adopt a revised and renewed HIV in Europe Call to Action
• To provide an overview of initiatives and best practices on optimal testing and earlier care
• To discuss HIV in Europe ongoing projects, the outcome of which will be:
  • An inventory of methodologies that can be applied within a given geographical setting to assess the size of the infected but not yet diagnosed population.
  • Publication of paper describing the epidemiology of HIV presenters across the European continent from 2002-2008.
  • Publishing of the results of a survey assessing HIV prevalence for 8 indicator diseases across Europe to further inform the concept of indicator diseases guided testing.
  • Implementation of the Stigma Index in order to reduce barriers to testing and treatment.
  • Publication of study that will review legislation across the European Region that singles out criminalisation of HIV and other communicable diseases.

The HIV in Europe 2009 Meeting was held under the auspices of the Swedish Presidency of the European Union.