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South African AIDS Conference programme released
Issued by Karen Bennett of Simeka TWS Communications, on behalf of Dira Sengwe Conferences. 12 May 2005.
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South Africa's foremost HIV/AIDS experts will present their experience to more than 4,000 delegates in Durban next month (7 - 10 June 2005) at the country's second national AIDS Conference.
A highlight of this year's conference is the Nkosi Johnson Memorial Lecture, dedicated to South Africa's youngest AIDS activist, who gave a moving opening address to tens of thousands of people at the XIIIth International AIDS Conference in Durban in 2000.
"Nkosi represents the brave face of HIV, not only because he was 11 years old at the time, but also because he boldly declared and confronted his status. We hope that by hosting this memorial lecture, his bravery and courage will live on. He also represents a terrifying feature of the South African AIDS epidemic - that HIV is robbing our youth and that we need to do more to arrest this," said conference chair, Prof Lynn Morris.
The Nkosi Johnson Memorial Lecture will be presented by Dr Mamphele Ramphele. One of South Africa's most celebrated women, Dr Ramphele is a medical doctor, activist, anthropologist, vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town, and one of four managing directors of the World Bank.
Programme two - additional plenary speakers include: Paul Scharp (title: Clade C Epidemic (genetic diversity studies)); Clem Sunter (title: Scenario Planning: Modeling the HIV Epidemic in South Africa in the Era of ARV Access); Olive Shisana (title: The Impact of HIV/AIDS in the South African Education Sector); Mark Nelson (title: New Strategies in Treating HIV Infection); Salim Abdool Karim (title: New Generation Microbicides); Valerie Stone (title: Adherence Support for Therapeutic Success); Fatima Hassan (title: Keeping the Human Rights Response to HIV Alive in the 21st Century - new threats and challenges); Nicoli Natrassi (title: Trading-off Income and Health: AIDS and Disability Grant in South Africa), Tom Coates (title: VCT); Francois Venter (title: A Critical Appraisal of the South African State Antiretroviral Programme); James McIntyre (title: Challenges in Integrating the PMTCT and Treatment Programmes); Linda Mafu (title: Reaching Forgotten People and Communities: The Need for Scaling Up and Investing in Community Based Treatment Literacy); Brian Brink (title: Critical Appraisal of Anglo Treatment Programme / Other Programmes); and Zwelinzima Vavi (title: Challenges for a United Response to HIV Prevention and Treatment in the Next Decade).
Following the days' plenary sessions, posters and oral abstracts will be presented. Topics of the abstracts fall within the four tracks of the conference: Basic Science and Clinical Science; Epidemiology, Prevention and Public Health; Social and Economic Sciences, Human Rights and Ethics; and Best Practices and Programmes.
The conference received 481 abstract submissions to these four tracks. These abstracts were scored by the track committees, and 93 were accepted for oral presentation, and 361 for poster presentation.
Programme three - additional sessions include symposia (focusing on Business Responses to HIV/AIDS, TB, Low Cost Diagnostics and Vaccines); a round table discussion on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on educators; and debates attempting to answer the following questions: Money for AIDS: Who Gets It?; Should HIV Testing be Mandatory?; and When to Start Treatment - 200 vs 350 CD4 Count?
Other events at the conference include theatre productions, a poetry reading, screening of the film Yesterday, a photo exhibition, seven skills building sessions, a quilt display and an NGO exhibition.
Interest in the South African AIDS Conference has grown substantially, and the registrations received to date indicated a 120% increase in the numbers of delegates since the previous national conference in 2003. The South African AIDS Conference will be held at Durban's International Convention Centre from 7 to 10 June 2005. |
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