Six things we learnt from Melbourne*s AIDS conference (ABC)

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After a week marked by tragic and sudden loss of six delegates on the doomed Malaysia Airlines flight MH17, the 20th International Aids Conference in Melbourne has wrapped up.

The conference was organised by the International AIS Society (IAS), the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with more than 16,000 members in more than 177 countries working at all levels on the global response to AIDS.

The tragic loss of IAS president Dr Joep Lange and five other delegates on MH17 overshadowed the opening, but delegates rallied, galvanised by their loss.

Here are six important things the conference taught us:

1. HIV rates are at a 20-year high

Before the conference got underway, new data from the Kirby Institute demonstrated the need for more research on AIDS.

The figures showed that HIV rates had been steadily rising in Australia since 1999, and more than 26,000 people were now living with the virus.

The survey also found HIV rates were at a 20-year-high, with unprotected sex between casual male partners seen as a leading cause.

But there had been some progress, with only 2 per cent of all HIV cases now being attributed to unsafe drug injecting.

"Fortunately [there] was pioneering in the 1980s and [it] has really led the world in large-scale implementation of needle and syringe programs and that has led to effectively no epidemic taking off," Associate Professor David Wilson said.

2. Waking up hidden HIV

Scientists revealed a new approach to getting rid of the HIV virus, called the "kick and kill" approach, using an anti-cancer drug to kick the virus out of where it is hiding in the body.

Dr Ole Schmeltz Sogaard from Denmark's Aarhus University said he gave patients anti-cancer drugs which increased the production of HIV-infected cells more than three times above normal.

The cells could then be traced and targeted with existing treatments.

"We've now shown we can activate a hibernating virus with Romidepsin and that the activating virus moves into the bloodstream in large amounts," Dr Sogaard said.

"This is a step in the right direction, but there is still a long way to go and many obstacles to overcome before we can start talking about a cure against HIV."

3. Promising bone marrow transplants

Two HIV-positive patients treated at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital were given a bone marrow transplant, which appeared to have cleared them of the virus.

They now had undetectable levels of HIV but remained on antiretroviral therapy as a protective measure.

Although the results were significant, experts stressed that bone marrow transplants were not a cure for HIV, as it remained a costly and a potentially dangerous procedure.

4. TB breakthrough: radically reducing treatment times

The conference was told about a major breakthrough in treating tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis killed one in five people with HIV and remained the largest killer in the world of people with AIDS.

Results of an international study showed a new combination of drugs meant that drug-resistant TB could be cured in as little as four months, instead of two years.

5. An AIDS-free 'within reach': Bill Clinton

Former US president Bill Clinton declared that an AIDS-free generation was within reach, despite the fact that every year another 2 million people are infected with HIV.

But he said the international community had to get better at detecting the disease early.

"New data from 51 countries suggests 70 per cent of HIV-related deaths could have been prevented," he said.

"The evidence continues to build that early treatment helps prevent further transmission."

His speech was briefly interrupted by protesters calling for new taxes to support the fight against AIDS, which brings us to lesson number six.

6. More funding needed for the home stretch

Artist and poverty campaigner Bob Geldof slammed the world's wealth countries over a "disgraceful" lack of HIV funding.

He said while there had been incredible advances in the fight against HIV and AIDS in the past 30 years, the final steps were the most crucial.

According to UNAIDS, 19 of the 20 most-AIDS-affected countries were in Africa and 72 per cent of all people with HIV lived in the sub-Saharan region.

Sir Bob criticised the foreign aid spending of wealthy countries, especially Australia, which planned to cut its contribution by $7.6 billion over the next five years.

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