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The COVID-19 pandemic and the expectation of future pandemic threats have generated a global dialogue on strengthening pandemic preparedness and response (PPR). Thus far, this dialogue has largely failed to fully consider the critical role that established, disease-specific programs played in national and regional COVID-19 responses, and the potential for these programs to contribute to stronger pandemic preparedness for the future. The HIV response is an important example of a global health initiative that is already making substantial contributions to PPR. Both the infrastructure and core principles of the HIV response have much to contribute towards pandemic preparedness that is more effective and equitable than seen in the response to COVID-19. This review examines how HIV-related resources and principles can support communities and countries in being better prepared for emerging disease threats, with a specific focus on evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on the current literature, the review explores the clear, multi-faceted intersection between the HIV response and the central elements of pandemic preparedness in areas including surveillance; supply chain; primary care; health care workforce; community engagement; biomedical research; universal access without discrimination; political leadership; governance; and financing. There are many opportunities to be more strategic and purposeful in leveraging HIV programs and approaches for preparedness. Avoiding the longstanding temptation in global health to create new siloes, PPR initiatives, including the new Pandemic Fund at the World Bank, should invest in and build out from existing programs that are already making health systems more inclusive and resilient, including the global response to HIV.

In the decades since the emergence of HIV, numerous approaches to prevent transmission have been tested with varying degrees of success. Because a highly effective vaccine will not be available within the next decade, it is increasingly clear that preventing new HIV infections will require successful implementation of promising behavioral and biomedical interventions in combination. These prevention packages must be sufficiently flexible to include a variety of evidence-based interventions that serve each dynamic population they target, particularly those who are most vulnerable. To optimize the impact of combination intervention packages, well-designed implementation science studies are vital. Efficacy in a clinical trial does not necessarily translate to effectiveness at the population-level, and prioritized research studies should investigate programmatic implementation and operations scale-up and new methods to monitor and evaluate these processes both for organization and cost-effectiveness. With an estimated 2.7 million people becoming newly infected with HIV in 2010, the prevention of HIV remains an urgent global health priority. Since the emergence of HIV/AIDS more than 30 years ago, the evidence base for HIV prevention has expanded and evolved. Here we explore the status of evidence-based HIV prevention, describing both the continuing challenges and the emerging opportunities to reduce HIV incidence.

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