HIV infection rates have halved over the past decade in much of the developing world. In the Middle East, meanwhile, they have increased by more than 35%. There are 96,000 people living with HIV/AIDS in Iran alone, with new infections increasing most rapidly among women. Efforts to control the virus are starting to pay off, but international support is needed to sustain these encouraging results.

Iranian scientists have developed a useful model for treating drug addiction and preventing transmission of HIV (C. S. Todd et al. Curr. HIV/AIDS Rep. 4, 151–157; 2007) that has brought the spread of HIV among injecting drug users under control. But Iran will need to adapt its response as the epidemic shifts to new populations.

HIV researchers, clinicians and policy-makers from the United States, Europe and the Middle East met in Tehran last year to identify priority targets. These include preventing mother-to-child transmission, expanding treatment programmes and reducing infection risk in key populations (see iranhivandaidscongress.org).

International collaborations will help Iran to meet these public-health challenges.