40 years of HIV/AIDS, and 18 months of COVID: Resources and Perspectives

June 3, 2021
 
Dear Advocate, 
 
It’s 18 months and counting since COVID-19 hit the world, and it’s 40 years this week since the first cases of HIV appeared in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report of the CDC. Both epidemics have deeply scarred humankind, and neither can be vanquished without prevention. That message is vital to remember as the UN High Level Meeting (HLM) on AIDS begins next week—20 years since the first UN General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS that led to the establishment of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
 
At AVAC.org we have new resources to support your advocacy and get you the latest information on the prevention pipelines for both HIV and COVID-19—and some recommended reading, too, from some friends and colleagues:

• Chris Beyrer just published this perspective in the Lancet: A pandemic anniversary: 40 years of HIV/AIDS
• Emily Bass and Ethan Guillén contributed their point of view in Foreign Policy: Tackling Pandemics Means Relearning the Lessons of Fighting HIV

 
We hope you’ll scroll down for a roundup of recently updated materials. And we hope you’ll join a side meeting at the HLM, No Prevention, No End: The importance of leadership for HIV prevention—How decisions can turn an epidemic. Register to support the urgent need for leadership to reach the 2030 UN targets. And to see the larger conversation of the HLM, and AVAC’s take, on Twitter, follow #HLM2021AIDS.
 
 
The HIV Prevention Pipeline

• AVAC’s classic infographic, The Future of ARV-Based Prevention and More, has a fresh update. It offers a look at the range of non-vaccine technology moving from pre-clinical through phase IV trials. 

• HIV Vaccine Awareness Day on May 18th brought a slew of resources for vaccine advocacy. On AVAC’s dedicated page for HVAD 2021 you will find key messages, a PowerPoint for basic vaccine science, podcasts, opinion pieces and more.

• You won’t want to miss the June 29th webinar, What’s Your Pleasure? Expanding Your Choices on the HIV Prevention Buffet. The talk will be both a scientific update on the research pipeline—with Dr. Linda-Gail Bekker from the Desmond Tutu Health Foundation, Dazon Dixon Diallo from SisterLove, and Rob Newells from the Black AIDS Institute—and a happenin’ gathering with spoken word artist Storie Deveraux and DJ set by DJ Triple D. Register here.

Updates On COVID Vaccines

• Check out the latest on the Cheat Sheet: COVID-19 Vaccine Pipeline. This snapshot offers advocates a view of the funders, platforms and progress through the clinical research process. 

• The COVID-19 Vaccine Cheat Sheet: Access Edition features updates on how vaccines compare on key characteristics such as cost, dosing, efficacy and more. 

 
Best, 
AVAC