Ciheb at the International AIDS Symposium 2025

KIGALI – CIHEB participated in the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Science, held from July 13–17, 2025, under the theme “Confronting the Storm: The Future of the HIV Response.”

The conference featured key contributions from experts across the field, including Linah Mwango, who presented findings on the real-world implementation of long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA) for HIV prevention in Zambia.

Mwango spoke during the panel “The Future of Person-Centred HIV Prevention: Latest Evidence from the African Continent.” The session highlighted innovative HIV prevention strategies, emphasizing the role of long-acting prevention medicines and the importance of aligning innovation with person-centered care to sustain progress against HIV in Africa.

In collaboration with Kristen Stoebenau, Mwangala Mwale, Godfrey Muchanga, Choolwe Maambo, Chipe Geaty, Kathryn Macdonald, Caitlin Baumhart, Obvious Chilyabanyama, Natalia Blanco, Lloyd Mulenga, Cassiday Classen, and Marie-Claude Lavoie, Mwango presented promising research on the implementation of CAB-LA among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in Zambia. This work, conducted within a community-based model as part of the Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-Free, Mentored, and Safe (DREAMS) program, examined how CAB-LA can be integrated into holistic HIV prevention efforts.

DREAMS aims to build resilience, support education, foster healthy relationships, and expand access to essential health services for AGYW—empowering them to lead healthy, AIDS-free lives. Key findings from the research included:

• Themes were analyzed using the Andersen Healthcare Utilization Model, which considers the external environment, predisposing characteristics, enabling factors (facilitators and barriers), and perceived needs that influence health service use.

• Participants reported high satisfaction with CAB-LA and minimal side effects.

• All participants (100%) returned on schedule for their second CAB-LA dose.

IAS offers a chance for engagement with other organizations and experts, exchanging knowledge and exploring potential collaborations. The symposium, an annual gathering of global experts in the field of HIV/AIDS, showcased more than 140 oral abstract sessions, 1,400 posters, and 600 speaker sessions. Next year’s IAS 2026 will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in July 2026.