14th ICASA AIDS Conference Opens in Nigeria
Hundreds of international health experts on Sunday gathered in Abuja, Nigeria, to launch the 14th International Conference on HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa and discuss how to tackle the AIDS epidemic on the continent, AFP/Yahoo! News reports (AFP/Yahoo! News, 12/3). The six-day conference will focus on how to make better use of funds to fight the disease, Xinhuanet reports (Xinhuanet, 12/4). Delegates also will discuss how best to integrate the work of aid agencies, African health ministries, religious groups and grassroots organizations, as well as talk about "what's going to happen post-Global Fund [To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria] and post-[President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief]," UNAIDS spokesperson Richard Delate said (AFP/Yahoo! News, 12/3). The conference, which is held every two years, also will address scientific advances, prevention and treatment tools and accountability in funding for HIV/AIDS initiatives (Reuters, 12/4). Africa is home to about 25.8 million HIV-positive people, and 2.4 million people on the continent died of AIDS-related complications in 2005, according to UNAIDS (Xinhuanet, 12/4).
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