Dear ladies and gentlemen,

The Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) is celebrating its 35th anniversary this year and we would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to you. Thank you for your active participation in the SHCS and for helping us to continuously expand our knowledge about HIV and to use this knowledge for the treatment of people with HIV.

With your help, we have already achieved a great deal over the last few decades and HIV infection has changed from a fatal disease to a well-treatable chronic disease. SHCS research has produced many important new findings and improved the quality of treatment for people with HIV in Switzerland. Above all, this includes the message that people with HIV cannot infect other people if they receive successful antiretroviral therapy. This is why we are also seeing a decline in new diagnoses thanks to the widespread use of antiretroviral therapy. We have always promoted the involvement of people with HIV in research. In the last two years, we have intensified these efforts.

You as a person with all your needs and challenges in connection with HIV are at the centre of our science. Our main goal has always been and will always be to bring all the knowledge we gain back to you so that we can continuously improve the lives of people living with HIV. We would like to thank you, but also encourage you to let us know what we can do better in the future or where you personally see the biggest challenges with HIV.

We would also like to take this opportunity to draw your attention to our community newsletter in German, French and Italian, through which you can regularly receive the latest findings from SHCS research in non-technical language: https://www.shcs.ch//community/deutsch/

We wish you and your loved ones all the best and good health for the time ahead.

The team of the Swiss HIV Cohort Study https://www.shcs.ch