Overview of the XIX international AIDS conference

The XIXth IAC concluded in late July after more than 5 days devoted to showcasing over 3,600 poster and oral presentations. While no "major" breakthroughs were reported, it was clear that progress has been made on multiple fronts. A true "cure" (i.e., complete eradication of HIV from the body) may be decades away, but the premise no longer is dismissed as fantasy. Antiretroviral "scale-up" efforts have already had a positive impact on the health of HIV-infected persons in developing countries, although death rates from TB, in particular, remain unacceptably high. Earlier initiation of therapy has decreased the rate of other infections and has shown promise as a strategy for reducing the transmission rate of HIV (i.e., "treatment as prevention"). Undoubtedly, obstacles to more widespread success, such as limited access to care and insufficient medication adherence, still exist.Nevertheless, the progress that has been made in 31 years truly is astounding. This year's IAC did a fantastic job of communicating those achievements to a very engaged worldwide audience.