IAS Conference on HIV Pathogenesis,Treatment To Take Place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Organizers of the third biannual International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment on Sunday announced that the conference -- which will review the latest advances in fighting HIV/AIDS -- will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July 24 to July 27, the AP/National Nine News reports (AP/National Nine News, 4/4). The conference will feature speeches by leading researchers focusing on the global response to the pandemic, prevention science and treatment. It also will include abstract-driven sessions -- 2,060 abstracts from 114 countries were submitted -- as well as debates, forums and industry-sponsored satellite symposia, according to a conference release (Conference release, 4/4). "The conference will open space for a dynamic forum where scientists and public health specialists and community leaders can explore how the latest scientific knowledge can be applied to the reality of developing countries," IAS President Helene Gayle said. She said Brazil was chosen to host the conference because of the Brazilian government's intense HIV/AIDS prevention efforts -- including condom distribution -- and programs providing antiretroviral drugs at no cost, according to the AP/National Nine News. The World Bank in 1990 predicted that Brazil would have 1.2 million HIV-positive people by this time, but current estimated prevalence is about half of that forecast, according to the AP/National Nine News. "Over the last five years, there have been dramatic changes in the global response to AIDS, and the access to medicines for people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries has become a global imperative," Mauro Schechter, chief of AIDS research at Federal University-Rio de Janeiro, said (AP/National Nine News, 4/4).
Webcasts of major sessions of the conference will be available on kaisernetwork.org at kaisernetwork.org/rio2005.