Krishen Samuel, PhD, MSPH

I write about real-life heroes facing unimaginable horrors while trying to provide #HIV care in conflict settings. We cannot stop speaking about atrocities taking place in areas like #Gaza & elsewhere. @MSF @MedicalAidPal @BelenGaron91210 @iasociety aidsmap.com/news/jul-2025/…

"The theme of #AIDS2026 is Rethink. Rebuild. Rise (#RethinkRebuildRise): #Rethink what leadership looks like. #Rebuild the architecture and resilience of the HIV response. #Rise to meet this moment with courage, clarity, and compassion – together." - @BGrinsztejn #IAS2025

‘Coming from the most affected region, I’ve let go of the single story that paints people living with #HIV as helpless and tragic… It’s time we become the authors of our own story.’ Powerful & pertinent remarks from Nomonde Ngema, @1banom9nde, at the closing of #IAS2025.

‘Conflict disrupts not just lives, but destroys health infrastructure… Just imagine that you have no functioning hospital, healthcare workers are being killed & you still find the courage to serve.’ Xavier Biggs refers to a powerful session from #IAS2025 in his summary.

‘Communities are never hard-to-reach; they are underserved.’ Great takeaway message from rapporteur summary for #HIV prevention, by @raynerkjtan @iasociety #IAS2025

‘We no longer stand at a crossroads: we now find ourselves at a precipice,’ @LindaGailBekker shared in Kigali at #IAS2025 this week. #HIV experts, including community, are resolute. We will not go back. Read more on @aidsmap. @iasociety aidsmap.com/news/jul-2025/…

👏 @MedicalAidPal’s Sameer Sah delivers a powerful keynote on the devastating state of #Gaza's health system, earning a well-deserved standing ovation at the #IAS2025 special session on #HIV in conflict settings.

Exciting news from #IAS2025! A once-monthly #PrEP pill option is on the horizon. MK-8527 was safe, well-tolerated & protective levels were maintained. It’s now headed into Phase 3 trials. We need as many PrEP options as possible to end the #HIV epidemic. @iasociety @Merck

‘Policies can save lives.’ @mdoherty_hiv from @WHO documents how changes in ART policy—including when it was offered to people with #HIV—have saved many lives. These life-saving changes have been driven by scientific advances, policy AND activists who urged for changes.

At #IAS2025 @yazdanpanah_y highlights something we don’t speak about enough: lack of equity in grants & authorship between researchers from high-income countries & those from lower income countries — where the research is usually conducted. Little has changed over a decade…

We have both old & new #HIV challenges according to Jeanne Marrazzo, speaking in her personal capacity at #IAS2025. But she stated that ‘we cannot compromise when we’ve come so far. We cannot lose heart.’ @iasociety

At #IAS2025, @S0langeBaptiste from @ITPCglobal speaks about how trust was lost when communities lost access to services due to funding cuts. ‘Communities are experts… they can tell us where the little money that’s available needs to be spent.’ @iasociety

Intermittent ART may be an important response to current #HIV funding cuts: taking pills 4 or 5 days a week, instead of 7. This approach maintained viral suppression, as shown at #IAS2025. But: excellent adherence, no prior treatment failure & already virologically suppressed.

Great to see certain dual ART combinations working as well as three-drug options, after a 96-week African trial. @WHO now recommends dolutegravir & lamivudine as a simplification strategy in adolescents & adults. We need simplified & cost-effective options.

‘How can we innovate when everything around us is unstable and hostile?’ @MagdaQueta asks at #IAS2025. She shares crucial lessons learned in challenging contexts: innovation is not just about technology: find new ways of centring community & integrating local knowledge.

Amazing scientific advances in the pipeline — some being presented at #IAS2025 this week. But long-acting injectable treatment uptake has lagged, even in high-income settings. How will we use science to stop the epidemic? We need targeted, accessible & affordable solutions.

‘Community action is what gives science its soul, its reach and its relevance. Sustaining HIV progress means investing in people.’ A powerful reminder of what drives #HIV science forward: community must be at the centre of all that we do. #IAS2025 @rosemarymburu @iasociety

"At this meeting, @WHO is proud to release our new guidelines on the first injectable prophylaxis, lenacapavir PrEP, along with injectable antiretrovirals for treatment. But these powerful medicines are only useful if we can get them to the people who need them." - @DrTedros

Rousing opening plenary by @LindaGailBekker #IAS2025 ‘We will not go back… We no longer stand at a crossroads. We now find ourselves at a precipice.’ The global #HIV response is in peril. We need decisive leadership, resilience & the strength of communities. @iasociety

"We are not invisible, we are not statistics. We are real people with real real needs." - #HIV community activists take the stage at #IAS2025.