As the 20th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014Exit Disclaimer) drew to a close in Melbourne, Australia, we asked Dr. Carl Dieffenbach from NIH/NIAID to provide a summary of conference highlights.

Dr. Dieffenbach recognized the Malaysia Airlines tragedy, a loss deeply felt by those in the worldwide HIV community.

He noted that the conference theme of “stepping up the pace” permeated the many sessions as presenters discussed the importance of new tools in the fight against HIV/AIDS, including both treatment as prevention and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP). Another leading idea at the conference, he observed, was the need to focus our efforts on the epidemic “hotspots” –both geographic areas and populations – in order to truly make a difference in the epidemic and help us achieve the goal of zero new HIV infections.

Watch Dr. Dieffenbach’s remarks above.

We are grateful to Dr. Dieffenbach for helping us to share highlights of the important advances in HIV prevention, treatment, and care coming out of AIDS 2014. We invite you to view all of Dr. Dieffenbach’s posts from the conference, as well as our many other conference posts and videos featuring HIV leaders discussing new developments in the field. View all our posts and videos from AIDS 2014. 

About AIDS 2014

Gathered under the theme of “Stepping Up the Pace,” some 12,000 participants from 200 countries around the world have gathered in Melbourne for the 20th International AIDS Conference, known as AIDS 2014. This biennial gathering for those working in the field of HIV, including scientists, medical practitioners, activists, policymakers, people living with HIV and others committed to ending the epidemic. Read more about following the conference online.