Left to right: Dr. LEONG Iek Hou Head of Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Bureau, Macao SAR; Mr. HAN Mengjie, Chief expert on AIDS Prevention and Control of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention; Professor SHANG Hong, Academician of China Academy of Engineering, Director of the First Hospital of China Medical University; Dr. Erasmus U. MORAH，Director and Representative, UNAIDS China Office; Dr. Margaret CHAN, Dean of Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University; Dr Che Hung LEONG, the Chairman of Hong Kong AIDS Foundation; Mr Chen Zetao, the Deputy Director-General of the Co-ordination Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Dr LEE Ha-yun, Libby, JP, Under Secretary for Health to share her message; Professor David HO, Director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center; Mr. HAO Yang, President of Chinese Association of STD & AIDS Prevention and Control; Ms. WANG Xinlun, Vice-President of Chinese Association of STD & AIDS Prevention and Control; Dr. JIN Ronghua, Director of National Center for Infectious Diseases (Beijing), President of the Beijing Ditan Hospital; Dr. Chien-Chin HUNG, President of Taiwan AIDS Society; Professor CHEN Zhiwei, Director of AIDS Institute, Chair Professor, Department of Microbiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong

Website of The 7th AIDS Forumof Beijing, Hong Kong, Macau & Taiwan:https://aids.org.hk/the7thaidsforum^[2]

The AIDS Forum has been co-hosted by four prominent and leading HIV/AIDS-related NGO every two years in various hosting cities since 2010. This year, the Forum will be hosted by the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation along with substantial support from counterparts from the Mainland China, Macau and Taiwan and is themed " together, we create a stigma-free world". It aims to promote collaboration among researchers, medical expertise, and non-governmental organizations. In addition to the strong support from Mainland China, Macau, and Taiwan, government officials, including Mr. Chen Zetao, the Deputy Director-General of the Co-ordination Department of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Dr LEE Ha-yun, Libby, JP, Under Secretary for Health, Dr. Margaret Chan Fung Fu-chun, the Dean of Vanke School of Public Health, Tsinghua University, Professor David HO, Director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center and Dr. LEONG Iek Hou, the Head of Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Health Bureau, Macao SAR, also attended the opening ceremony.

Dr. Che Hung Leong, the Chairman of the Hong Kong AIDS Foundation, delivered a welcome speech, highlighting the aspirations behind this year's slogan, " together, we create a stigma-free world". He said that AIDS is not only a medical problem, but also a social problem. In the past, he has been committed to going into the community to educate the public on prevention, especially the importance of safe sex. Finally, we also call on our respective governments to continue their efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Over a hundred representatives and medical expertise attended to discuss the current AIDS situation in the four regions.

The Forum was divided into eight sessions, addressing the situation, treatment, prevention of AIDS, as well as the support services in the four regions. Support for people living with HIV, including the HIV Care Continuum & Beyond White Paper and the challenges of promoting PrEP in Asia. Roundtable discussions further explored opportunities for cross-regional cooperation in AIDS prevention and how various entities can prevent and control the virus. Each session involved representatives and leading minds in the medical field from the four regions who shared their experiences, aiming to strengthen the cooperation among related medical institutions, disease prevention and control centres, non-governmental organizations, and other social workers in the region.

Professor David Ho, the Director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center announced the Global AIDS Response Strategy

Professor David Ho, the Director of Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center shared insights from his decades-long personal journey fighting the global AIDS pandemic. Professor David Ho unravelled the dynamic nature of HIV replication in vivo and revolutionized our basic understanding of this horrific disease. This knowledge led him to champion combination antiretroviral therapy (cocktail therapy) that resulted in unprecedented control of HIV in patients. An automatic death sentence has been transformed into a manageable disease, and near 30 million worldwide are currently on such therapy. As one of the main founders of the 'Pandemic Research Alliance', his initiatives provide transformative solutions and contribute to the well-being of humanity.

Professor Chen Zhiwei, the Director of AIDS Institute and the Chair Professor, Department of Microbiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong announced the development of AIDS vaccine.

Meanwhile, Professor Chen Zhiwei, the Director of AIDS Institute and the Chair Professor, Department of Microbiology, LKS Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong announced the development of HIV vaccine during the Forum. He also discussed the current status of immunotherapy for curing HIV. Professor Chen has been actively participating in vaccine design and development, thus promoting cross-region collaboration in the field of public health.

Echoing UNAIDS' current target, all parties join hands to achieve zero discrimination and improve the quality of life for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The forum also focused on the treatment of patients, echoing UNAIDS' current target: 95% of people with HIV who know their status will be on treatment and 95% of people with HIV on treatment will be virally suppressed by 2025. Through the implementation of online health support services and adhered to its philosophy of "People-centric", the Forum aim to re-boost the early realization of "zero new HIV infections, zero AIDS-related deaths and zero HIV-related stigma and discrimination by 2030" through the Forum particularly after the end of COVID pandemic.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

References

1. ^{^} Media OutReach Newswire (www.media-outreach.com)
2. ^{^} https://aids.org.hk/the7thaidsforum (aids.org.hk)