AIDS conference HIV stop supreme goal

12,000 Experts at Aids Conference in Africa: Stop HIV spread as the ultimate goal of the AIDS Conference in Cape Town

08/12/2013

The ultimate goal of ICASA, the AIDS conference that is currently taking place in Cape Town, is to halt the spread of HIV. 12,000 AIDS experts are expected in South Africa.

Containment of new infections
According to the organizers, the main concern of the International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ISACA), which is currently taking place in the South African city of Cape Town, is to stem the spread of new HIV infections. The focus is on networking and the exchange of information between the 12,000 expected AIDS experts. This was emphasized by ICASA Director Emily Blitz at the beginning of the conference on Saturday, attended by scientists, politicians and activists.

Supply more infected people with medication
For five days, the largest African AIDS conference will last. About 600 organizations and associations are represented at the biennial ICASA. Until Wednesday lectures and seminars will also be about new treatments in the fight against the deadly viral disease. Blitz explained that in addition to the preventive measures, it is particularly important to provide more people infected with HIV medication.

Respect for role model South Africa
South Africa was deliberately chosen as the venue because it wanted to show respect to the country for its efforts in the field of health policy. The country, where at the beginning of the millennium the then Health Minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang said that garlic, lemons and beetroot prevent the AIDS outbreak, has made tremendous progress in recent years. So South Africa is now, according to Blitz „a model for other African countries.“

70 percent of new infections in sub-Saharan Africa
Around six million people are infected with HIV in South Africa, more than in any other country in the world. But thanks to widespread preparedness and intensive treatment of infected people, the number of AIDS victims has been reduced by 41 percent in recent years. The South African government spends around 20 million euros a year on AIDS prevention and treatment. According to a United Nations report, 70 percent of all new HIV infections worldwide were registered in sub-Saharan Africa last year.

Voluntary circumcision of men
UNAIDS, the United Nations AIDS program, hopes that other African countries, especially those on prevention, will be guided by South Africa. The government of South Africa promotes, in addition to education campaigns and free test especially the voluntary circumcision of men, since the risk of infection in circumcised men, according to UNAIDS findings by 60 percent. Also in Rwanda in the near future 700,000 men will be moved to circumcision.

Many clinics lack AIDS medication
South Africa still has some challenges to overcome. So it lacks the information of the aid organization „Doctors Without Borders“ According to, every fifth public clinic on AIDS drugs. Therefore, the treatment of many patients is sometimes interrupted. Amir Shroufi, Deputy Medical Coordinator of the organization in South Africa, warned that this could be done „have catastrophic consequences.“ He explained: „Treatment interruptions can cause patients to become immune to the medication. Then the virus can spread unhindered.“ (Ad)