The last day of Congress kicked off with insightful "Meet the Expert" sessions, focusing on neonatal infections and careers in public health and global health.

The Plenary session on Pandemic Preparedness was an eye-opener from Arun Balajee from The Global Fund.

A broad range of scientific sessions took center stage next, featuring cutting-edge research, pioneering technologies, real-world implementations, and expert-recommended practices that enthralled attendees and inspired thought-provoking discussions. The sessions included neglected infectious diseases, Artificial Intelligence and infectious diseases, fungal resistance, diagnostics and therapy updates, AMR surveillance and diagnostic, dengue, and a WHO session on optimizing the diagnosis and treatment of STIs. This year's novel feature was the discussion on the pros and cons of compulsory licensing for novel vaccines. There was an engaging Policy Discussion session on funding sources in global health and advancing clinical trials, as well as an oral abstract session featuring among the best-submitted abstracts and topics related to Vaccines and vaccine development, social context infectious disease, and respiratory infections.

The Congress concluded on a powerful note with the Second plenary session of the day on Rights, equity, and path to ending AIDS by Dr. Adeeba Kamarulzaman, IAS President, who presented the efforts towards controlling HIV/AIDS across the globe.  She also emphasized the significance of Ubuntu, particularly in the face of infectious diseases, quoting the late Archbishop of Cape Town and Rights champion Desmond Tutu, “Ubuntu is the essence of being a person. It means that we are people through other people. We cannot be fully human alone. We are made for interdependence. If the world had more Ubuntu, we would not have war. We would not have this huge gap between the rich and the poor.”

The closing ceremony, chaired by Dr. Paul Tambyah (President ISID), drew a substantial crowd. Dr. Tambyah took the opportunity to express his heartfelt gratitude to the City of Cape Town and the South African Convention Bureau, the dedicated local organizing team, the scientific committees, and the funders and participants who made the congress possible. The ISID community extends our warmest congratulations to Dr. Sally Roberts on her appointment as the incoming President of ISID, and we anticipate a fruitful and dynamic term under her guidance. The next congress in 2026 promises to be even better than this one!