Since the beginning of the HIV epidemic nurses have been at the forefront of the response team to help people manage this fatal infection. The nurse is involved at every stage of the trajectory of a person living with HIV—from usually being the first to counsel the newly diagnosed person to one of the last to be with him/her at the point of death says Dr Ian Hodgson. This significant albeit less recognized role played by nurses across the world in the care support and treatment of people living with HIV (PLHIV) was the key theme of an important event