SA Aids conference kicks off in Durban
THE DURBAN International Convention Centre is hosting the 11th SA Aids Conference, which will kick off today and end on Friday.
Attending the conference will be more than 1 000 delegates, exhibitors and members of the media, civil society and the HIV community to act, connect and end the epidemic.
Deputy President Paul Mashatile, as chairperson of the SA National Aids Council (Sanac), will deliver a keynote address during the opening session of the event.
According to a statement from the Presidency, the conference will provide a platform for taking stock of the post-pandemic South African HIV/ Aids, tuberculosis and STI response and deliberating on emerging priorities as the country forges ahead with efforts and strategies to eliminate HIV as a public health threat.
“Sanac, chaired by Deputy President Mashatile, has played a leading role in championing response programmes in line with the new 2023-28 National Strategic Plan (NSP) for HIV, TB, and STIs through a multi-sectoral engagement that includes government, civil society, and the private sector,” read the statement.
“Aids is still a big concern worldwide, as according to the Joint UN
Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAids) around the world, a child dies from Aids-related causes every five minutes.
“Furthermore, only half (52%) of children living with HIV are on life-saving treatment, far behind adults, of whom three quarters (76%) are receiving antiretrovirals.
“In 2021, 160 000 children newly acquired HIV.
“Children accounted for 15% of all Aids-related deaths, despite the fact that only 4% of the total number of people living with HIV are children,” said UNAids.
Next month will see another HIV conference, the 12th International Aids Society Conference on HIV Science, which will take place in Brisbane, Australia, from July 23 to 26, and will highlight the world’s advances in HIV research.
According to the society, the Conference on HIV Science is the world’s most influential meeting on HIV research and its applications.
“This biennial conference presents the critical advances in basic, clinical and operational HIV research that move science into policy and practice. Through its open and inclusive programme, the meeting sets the gold standard of HIV science, featuring highly diverse and cutting-edge research,” according to the International Aids Society.