International collaborations

Contributing to HIV care within the EU

SHM is assigned by the Dutch Minister of Health to monitor HIV in the Netherlands and to contribute to the quality of HIV care. The acknowledgement by the Dutch government of the importance of a national HIV/AIDS monitoring system contributes to the knowledge of the effect of lifelong treatment of HIV in the Netherlands and in the EU. As a result, SHM is involved in HIV/AIDS care and prevention policy discussions within the European Union.

International cooperation

SHM collaborates with other research groups and observational cohorts in Western-Europe, the US and Canada. The foundation provides expertise and data to be used for large international studies about the treatment of HIV/AIDS. SHM is in a position to do so as it is one of the very few organisations in the world that represents an observational clinical cohort that is truly nationwide. SHM also cooperates with the London-based Imperial College in making mathematical models to predict the course of the HIV epidemic in the Netherlands. SHM is regarded the “gold standard” for HIV monitoring by the World Health Organization (WHO).

International collaborations in which SHM is involved:

Antiretroviral Therapy Cohort Collaboration (ART-CC)

ART-CC is a long-standing international collaboration set up to carry out prognostic studies to assess the effect of cART in therapy-naive patients.

Concerted Action on SeroConversion to AIDS and Death in Europe (CASCADE)

This collaboration started in 1997 with the primary aim of monitoring the entire course of HIV infection, in both newly-infected individuals and those already enrolled in studies.

Data Collection on Adverse Effects of anti-Drugs (D:A:D Study)

This prospective multi-cohort study focuses on early recognition of adverse events that may be related to HIV treatment with antiretroviral agents.

ECDC

ECDC works in partnership with national health protection bodies across Europe to strengthen and develop continent-wide disease surveillance and early warning systems. By working with experts throughout Europe, ECDC pools Europe's health knowledge to develop authoritative scientific opinions about the risks posed by current and emerging infectious diseases.

European Pregnancy and Paediatric HIV Cohort Collaboration (EPPICC), part of PENTA within EuroCoord

EPPICC carries out epidemiological research throughout Europe into the prognosis and outcomes of HIV-infected pregnant women and children, and children who are exposed to HIV in utero.

European observational HIV cohort study (EuroSIDA)

EuroSIDA is a prospective observational cohort study of more than 18791 patients followed in 37 European countries plus Israel and Argentina. The main objective is to follow the long-term clinical prognosis for the general population of HIV-infected patients living in Europe and to assess the impact of antiretroviral drugs on the long-term prognosis for these patients.

HIV-CAUSAL

The HIV-CAUSAL collaboration is a multinational collaboration of prospective studies of HIV-infected individuals from six European countries and the United States. It aims to answer three questions: three main questions: when to start antiretroviral therapy, what antiretroviral regime to use initially, and when to switch to another regime.

HEP-CAUSAL

HIV in Europe is a pan-European initiative that started in Brussels in 2007. It offers a European platform for exchange and activities that aim to improve early diagnosis and earlier treatment of HIV in Europe.