COBATEST was represented by Dr. Laura Fernández-López at the 18th National ICAR Congress (Italian Conference on AIDS and Antiviral Research), held in Catania, Italy, from 20–22 May 2026. The congress brought together clinicians, researchers, public health professionals and community organisations to discuss the latest advances in HIV, viral hepatitis, sexually transmitted infections, prevention, treatment and innovation under the theme “Embrace Treatment, Empower Prevention, Advance Innovation.”
Dr. Fernández presented the abstract “Leveraging harmonised and disaggregated data for stronger community-based testing responses: Insights from the COBATEST Network” during the Social Science track, on behalf of the COBATEST Network. The presentation highlighted findings from nearly 23,000 testing visits reported by 73 community-based voluntary counselling and testing (CBVCT) services across 10 European countries in 2024. It demonstrated how harmonised, disaggregated data can identify disparities across key populations, reveal intersectional vulnerabilities, support integrated testing for HIV, viral hepatitis and syphilis, and strengthen evidence-based prevention, early diagnosis and linkage-to-care strategies across Europe. You can access the presentation здесь.