AHF at AIDS 2026 Conference: AIDS isn't over - and Syphilis Is surging. As a global leader in HIV and STI prevention and treatment, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) is once again bringing a bold and provocative message to the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, being held in person and virtually July 26-31. The risk and urgency of skyrocketing syphilis rates will be front and center at AHF's conference booth to remind everyone of the importance of regular check-ups for syphilis. While HIV/AIDS remains at the forefront of AHF's mission, rising syphilis rates globally have become a public health crisis that AHF is addressing with the launch of its global "Syphilis Is Serious: It's Curable. Get Tested." campaign. AHF's compelling campaign booth artwork spotlights an often asymptomatic STI that is preventable and curable, yet continues to spread at an alarming rate, including congenital syphilis, which can have devastating outcomes for mothers and babies, and the tertiary (latent) phase of syphilis that has no visible symptoms and can cause severe long-term damage to the brain, heart, and other organs. AHF will also host three engaging fireside chats at its booth during the conference, focusing on urgent challenges in the global HIV, syphilis, and tuberculosis responses: | WHAT | Fireside Chat - Beyond Silos: Integrating HIV and Syphilis Services in Latin America Syphilis, including congenital and gestational syphilis, continues to rise across Latin America, while HIV and syphilis co-infection remains common among people seeking STI services. This session will explore practical strategies to better integrate HIV and STI services, strengthen prevention and testing, improve coordination across health systems and communities, and identify where faster action is urgently needed. | | WHEN | Tuesday, July 28 at 2:00 p.m. BRT | | WHERE | AIDS 2026 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - AHF Booth #301 | | WHO | Pâmela Gaspar (Brazil), General Coordinator for the Surveillance of STIs, Ministry of Health, Brazil Dr. Adele Schwartz Benzaken (Brazil), Senior Global Medical Director, AHF Dr. Miguel Pedrola (Argentina), Country Program Manager, AHF Argentina and Scientific Director, AHF Latin America & the Caribbean Moderator: Guillermina Alaniz (Argentina), Director of Global Advocacy & Policy, AHF | | WHAT | Fireside Chat - Keeping People Connected to HIV Care: What Actually Works Interruptions in HIV treatment are often driven by social, institutional, and mental health barriers that push people out of care. This session will examine practical, people-centered strategies to improve retention and re-engagement, highlighting real-world approaches to better support people living with HIV and reduce preventable loss to follow-up. | | WHEN | Wednesday, July 29 at 2:00 p.m. BRT | | WHERE | AIDS 2026 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - AHF Booth #301 | | WHO | Dr. Omar Sued, Regional Advisor for HIV Care and Treatment, PAHO Dr. Logandran Naidoo (South Africa), National Medical Director, AHF South Africa Kim Heang Ung (Cambodia), Regional Testing and Prevention Program Manager, AHF Asia Moderator: Daniel Reijer (Netherlands), Bureau Chief, AHF Europe | | WHAT | Fireside Chat - Closing the Gap: Expanding TB Preventive Therapy for PLHIV TB is the leading cause of death among people living with HIV despite effective prevention and treatment tools. Tuberculosis preventive therapy (TPT) can greatly reduce illness and mortality, yet coverage across Latin America remains low. This session will focus on strategies to expand TPT access, address implementation gaps, and turn policy into broader action and impact. | | WHEN | Thursday, July 30 at 2:00 p.m. BRT | | WHERE | AIDS 2026 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - AHF Booth #301 | | WHO | Dr. Antonio Flores (Brazil/South Africa), SAMU Senior HIV/TB Advisor, MSF Dr. Jan van den Hombergh (Netherlands), Director of Global Quality Management, AHF Renato Chuster (Brazil), Senior Quality Data Manager, AHF Moderator: Guillermina Alaniz (Argentina), Director of Global Advocacy & Policy, AHF | "HIV/AIDS is, and always will be, at the heart of AHF's mission - but we cannot ignore a syphilis epidemic that is growing in plain sight," said Dr. Adele Schwartz Benzaken, Senior Global Medical Director at AHF. "Syphilis is curable, yet it often has no symptoms and goes undetected, allowing infections to spread and cause serious health complications. By bringing our 'Syphilis Is Serious' campaign to AIDS 2026, we're urging governments, health systems, and communities to treat rising syphilis rates with the urgency they demand. Expand testing and education, integrate STI services into HIV care, and make sexual health screenings routine." AHF will also present more than a dozen abstracts at IAS 2026, showcasing its global efforts to advance HIV prevention, treatment, and advocacy through innovative, community-driven approaches. Research spans re-engagement in care, advanced HIV disease, PrEP, cervical cancer screening, syphilis trends, health financing, and strategies to reduce stigma and other structural barriers affecting vulnerable populations. These studies reflect AHF's commitment to expanding equitable, evidence-based HIV services and improving health outcomes worldwide. AIDS 2026 in Rio de Janeiro is open to all in-person and virtual conference registrants. Visit the official website for more information.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has opened its first HIV Test & Treat Clinic in Kyiv, Ukraine's capital. This is the organisation's second standalone facility in the country, following the launch of a clinic in Odesa in 2017. The new clinic provides testing, treatment and ongoing care under one roof, aiming to reduce delays between diagnosis and therapy. AHF Ukraine has operated in the country since 2009, primarily through partnerships with government healthcare facilities, and now serves more than 98,000 clients nationwide. The Kyiv clinic is part of AHF's broader strategy to expand access to HIV, viral hepatitis and STI services through Test & Treat centres, mobile diagnostics, and collaboration with government and civil society partners. AHF provides healthcare to over 3 million people across 50 countries worldwide.

AIDS Healthcare Foundation demands Chicago Health Department stop cuts to HIV/AIDS care. * Business Wire * Jun 4, 2026 * 0 CHICAGO-(BUSINESS WIRE)-Jun 4, 2026- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) filed a lawsuit against the City of Chicago, Department of Public Health (CDPH) over its handling of the administration and award of program funds under two of its 2026 Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program Requests for Proposals (RFP), which defunded many organizations including AHF that provide care and treatment to people living with HIV in the Chicagoland area. The cuts disenfranchise hundreds of Chicago patients and clients from accessing the medical care and services they need from their preferred and longtime providers. The lawsuit (Case #2026CH05264), which was filed yesterday, seeks to block these cuts from going into effect and re-do the process in a fair and transparent way. AHF asserts that the Chicago Department of Health did not follow federal law and regulations requiring it to award program funds using documented procurement procedures consistent with state and local laws and that all procurements be conducted in a manner providing full and open competition. "In practice, the Chicago Health Department's existing procurement procedures for the Ryan White Program resulted in the arbitrary denial of AHF's recent bids to provide care and services under the RFPs," said Tom Myers, General Counsel for AHF. "The Department's failure to exercise good administrative practices, failure to act with sound business judgment and failure to comply with federal regulations is compounded by its failure to produce records related to the RFPs under Illinois' Freedom of Information Act, which AHF asserts is information necessary to determine whether the denial of AHF's proposals for the RFPs were improper." Background on Chicago's 2026 Ryan White RFP Funding Process In late January, AHF and several other longtime Chicago area care providers learned that their Ryan White funding would not be renewed. AHF and its Chicago area affiliate organization CALOR teamed to host street protests and give testimony before the Chicago Department of Health's HIV Planning Committee at an emergency public meeting on Friday, March 13 to oppose and halt planned grant funding cuts. The organizations' actions were part of an effort to restore funding of AHF's HIV Primary Care Services and SSHC's Early Intervention Services (EIS), as well as to encourage the HIV Planning Committee to allocate leftover funds into these service categories. Throughout 2021-2026, AHF and CALOR received $2.4 million in grants from the Chicago Department of Public Health to support HIV-related services in Chicago, or roughly $480,000/annually. However, the Chicago Department of Public Health declined continuation of AHF's funding for all HIV Primary Care and Early Intervention Services funding in this new 2026 grant cycle. These critical programs support some of Chicago's most underserved communities. AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the world's largest HIV/AIDS healthcare organization, provides cutting-edge medicine and advocacy to more than 3 million individuals across 50 countries, including the U.S. and in Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region, and Eastern Europe. In January 2025, AHF received the MLK, Jr. Social Justice Award, The King Center's highest recognition for an organization leading work in the social justice arena. To learn more about AHF, visit us online at AIDShealth.org, find us on Facebook, and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok. 770-940-6555 323-791-5526 KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ILLINOIS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LGBTQ+ AIDS PROFESSIONAL SERVICES HEALTH HEALTHCARE REFORM PUBLIC POLICY PHARMACEUTICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES LEGAL PUBLIC POLICY/GOVERNMENT CONSUMER PUB: 06/04/2026 12:55 PM/DISC: 06/04/2026 12:56 PM