For more information on the XV International AIDS Conference, to be held in Bangkok, Thailand, during July 2004, please click here

All Thai-ed Up - the HIVAN Team in Bangkok
Eleven of HIVANs staff members attended the XV International AIDS Conference in bustling Bangkok during July 2004. The Conference hosted approximately 20000 delegates, featured many tracks and a varied cultural programme, all centred on the theme access for all. For more on this story, please click here

HIVAN Team networking at the XV International AIDS Conference
Eleven of HIVAN's staff members attended the XV International AIDS Conference. Pictures from the conference can be viewed here

Moving from the margins
Despite the diversion created by the unfortunate and ill timed Nevirapine statements from the South Africa government, the Bangkok AIDS conference has managed to place the urgent need for millions to access lifesaving anti-retroviral therapy on the world agenda. Health-e captures the critical messages from the Thailand conference. Once a rallying cry of activists, now the theme of the 15th International AIDS conference, Access for All is firmly on the world agenda. It is perhaps no coincidence that an activist slogan became the theme of the bi-annual meeting which this year drew more than 19 000 delegates to the five-day event that ended on Friday. For more on this story, please click here

Getting ahead of the epidemic - UNAIDS Executive Director's Plenary Address at the Closing Ceremony of the XV International AIDS Conference
The following is a transcript of Peter Piot's Speech at the Closing Ceremony of the XV International AIDS Conference, held in Bangkok, Thailand, during July 2004. For more on this story, please click here

Tackle HIV/AIDS and TB together - Mandela
Efforts to combat tuberculosis (TB) should be included in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, former South African President Nelson Mandela told the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. For more on this story, please click here

Single dose Nevirapine to stay
Nevirapine will stay - and in a dramatic new development, preliminary tests presented in Bangkok on Thursday by a South African HIV/AIDS research unit indicate that a low-cost, week-long triple regime may reduce resistance to the drug from 50 percent to 10 percent. "We could probably treat each woman for under R100," said Professor James McIntyre, head researcher at the Perinatal HIV Research Unit at the University of Witwatersrand, speaking from the 15th International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand. For more on this story, please click here

Experts say stigma and discrimination fuel the spread of HIV
On the final day of the XV International AIDS Conference, experts warned of the dangers of HIV-related stigma and discrimination, arguing that such factors discourage people from coming forward to learn their HIV status and from taking precautions to protect others from possible infection. It also leads to the violation of human rights of people living with HIV/AIDS, and to insufficient care or inadequate programs to serve them. For more on this story, please click here

New strategies needed for HIV prevention in youth
Prevention of HIV infection that targets the youth is seen as key to the fight against HIV/AIDS. But, analysts say, there is no clear consensus on the content of the message, how it should be transmitted, and the profile of the audience it intends to reach. "Strategies that are developed to address youth as a homogeneous group are inefficient. They do not take into account differences in gender, culture, norms, values and sexuality," youth leader Raoul Fransen said at the International AIDS Conference in Thailand this week. "The AIDS vulnerability of an impoverished young woman living in a rural village in Africa is different to the AIDS vulnerability of an emerging gay youth in the favelas of Rio." For more on this story, please click here

Proven interventions and research-based efforts offer hope for HIV/AIDS prevention
Community leaders and scientists at the XV International AIDS Conference today called for substantially increased investment in proven HIV prevention efforts and scientific research to develop new prevention technologies, including a female-controlled method of prevention and an HIV vaccine. It is estimated that global resources required to mount comprehensive HIV prevention will increase from less than US$5 billion in 2004 to just under US$10 billion in 2007.1 HIV prevention is highly cost-effective. Yet, less than one in five people worldwide has access to HIV prevention services. For more on this story, please click here

4th day of conference calls for access to targeted programmes and political leadership that respond to the unique vulnerabilities and service needs of women and young people
Women and youth could face an HIV/AIDS catastrophe if concerted attention to their needs is not stepped up now, according to community, scientific and political leaders participating in the XV International AIDS Conference. Women leaders and other experts further emphasised the critical need to address the social, political and economic status of women and young people, arguing that failing to do so will undermine the long term effectiveness of any efforts to fight the AIDS epidemic. For more on this story, please click here

Scale-up of treatment in the developing world the focus of the third day of the XV International AIDS Conference
Community leaders, people living with HIV/AIDS and scientific experts participating in the XV International AIDS Conference today called for a dramatic scale-up in access to HIV/AIDS treatment in the developing world. While acknowledging the current debate on the use of generic versus branded drugs, Conference participants argued that such controversies must not be used as an excuse for further delays. For more on this story, please click here

Increased commitment and accountability essential to global success in the battle against HIV/AIDS
Community and scientific experts participating in the XV International AIDS Conference today underscored the urgent need for increased resources and the importance of accountability in the global fight against AIDS. They called for concrete commitments by leaders in all sectors, from policymakers and public officials to business executives and the entertainment industry. For more on this story, please click here

Call for action marks start of the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok
Bangkok today welcomed more than 17,000 delegates from over 160 countries to the XV International AIDS Conference, with an official Opening Ceremony attended by world renowned scientists, political leaders, youth, communities, non-governmental organisations, people living with HIV/AIDS, religious, intellectual and private sector leaders, and representatives of the arts and entertainment arenas. For more on this story, please click here

Stronger leadership needed at every level in the fight against HIV/AIDS - UN Secretary-General
The Following is Secretary-General Kofi Annans address to the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, 11 July: I am delighted to be here today, among so many leading lights in the fight against HIV/AIDS. It is the dedication and resolve of people like you that is our best hope in the struggle. It is fitting that we are meeting in Thailand, which has had such remarkable success in curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS. Prime Minister, your recipe for success was a powerful combination: visionary political leadership at an early stage of the epidemic; allocation of serious resources; strong civil society involvement; along with massive campaigns for public awareness and condom use promotion. Thank you, Thailand, for showing us that progress is possible. Continued leadership is now crucial in ensuring that you sustain that success, despite very real challenges. For more on this story, please click here

Speech by the Minister of Health at the Opening of the South African HIV/AIDS Stand at the XV International HIV/AIDS Conference in Bangkok, Thailand
We feel very honoured as the South African delegation to be here in Bangkok to participate in the 15th International Conference on AIDS. The logo that has been created for this conference features three elephants - to symbolize the commitment of three significant tiers in response to HIV/AIDS - community, family and HIV/AIDS workers. It also represents the three programme tracks of this conference - Scientific, Community and Leadership. Today, and for the duration of the conference, we would like to share our experiences as South Africa in response to HIV/AIDS as well as TB from these three perspectives. We also expect to learn a lot from the experiences of other countries and delegates gathered here. It is only through sharing of best practices that we can strengthen the global response to the major health problems facing the world. For more on this story, please click here

Opening Addresses at the XV International AIDS Conference
Like Durban, Bangkok could be a watershed event, Dr Joep Lange, President of the International AIDS Society, told delegates at the Opening Ceremony of the XV International AIDS Conference last night. The occasion held its fair share of promises, hopes and encouragement. The Thai Minister of Public Health, Ms Sudarat Keyuraphan, reminded delegates that the country had provided free antiretroviral therapy (ARV) since October 2003. She added that this conference would be the first Conference to offer a leadership programme, although some sessions had been cancelled for security reasons. For more on this story, please click here

From Atlanta to Bangkok
Perhaps more than any other medical challenge, HIV has transformed how we think about societys response to the illnesses of individuals. The International AIDS Conferences, held since 1985, provide a window onto the unique social history of this epidemic. The first International AIDS Conference took place in Atlanta, home of the US Centers for Disease Control. Treatment and prevention were both on the agenda, along with basic science. Following a similar meeting in 1986 in Paris, the tenor of the Conferences began changing from 1987. For more on this story, please click here

Update on the HIV/AIDS Plan as South African delegation leaves for the International AIDS Conference
A high-level South African Health delegation led by Health Minister, Dr Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, leaves for Bangkok, Thailand tomorrow to attend the 15th International AIDS Conference to be held in that country from 11-16 July 2004. For more on this story, please click here

Programme for the XV International AIDS Conference
The programme for this conference can be downloaded from the XV International AIDS Conference Website. There are a number of programmes, ranging from the full version to a pocket programme. All these can be accessed here

XV International AIDS Conference - Event: Combating Stigma and Discrimination: The Role of Religious Leaders in Building Inclusive Communities
Organisers: World Conference of Religions for Peace, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, UNAIDS Monday 12 July 2004 Time: 20.15-22.15 Venue: Room K, Impact Convention Centre Languages: English, French, Spanish, Arabic. For more on this story, please click here

HIVAN Team in Bangkok
Eleven of HIVAN's staff members will be jetting off to Bangkok, Thailand to participate in and present at the XV International AIDS Conference, during July 2004. The staff complement will be participating in the proceedings in a variety of ways: 10 poster presentations, 1 oral presentation, 1 film screening and an NGO booth. Professor Jerry Coovadia, HIVAN's Director: BioMedical Sciences, will be attending as a representative of Africa for the general council of the International AIDS Conference. For more on this story, please click here

HIVAN Team prepares for XV International AIDS Conference
The HIVAN staff members attending the XV International AIDS Conference, recently met to prepare for the conference. For pictures from this gathering, please click here.

"Deadly Myths?" selected for screening at the XV International AIDS Conference
Deadly Myths?" is the fifth documentary produced by Jill Kruger (Deputy Director - Social and Behavioural Sciences, HIVAN) - a hard-hitting, 50-minute documentary which takes a harsh and unblinking look at the deadly myths which surround the HIV/AIDS pandemic. The documentary highlights what people at ground level are doing to cope with an epidemic that is affecting their daily lives. For more on this story, please click here

At the epicentre: Bangkok 2004:
The International AIDS Society, UNAIDS and the Royal Thai Government have concluded an agreement to hold the XV International AIDS Conference in Bangkok, from 11 to 16 July 2004. The agreement was announced yesterday by HE Sudarat Keyuraphan (Thai Minister of Public Health) and Vallop Thaineua (Director-General of the Ministry of Public Health), representing the Royal Thai Government, and Dr Peter Piot (UNAIDS), and Dr Stefano Vella and Dr Joep Lange (IAS). For more on this story, please click here