Aids Bulletin - Brief Article

BY THE MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL, THE CORPORATE COMMUNICATION DIVISION

"THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE ON THE AFRICAN CONTINENT"

CONTENTS:

"Speech of the President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki // Speech by Nkosi Johnson // Closing address by former President, Nelson Mandela // 'Hold the Governments Accountable' // Gender is not synonymous with sex - HIV/AIDS in a Male-Dominated World // Challenges in Mother-to-Child Transmission // Balancing Power in Research // Prevention Works but do Few Things Well // Prevention Works but Needs Action // Silence, AIDS and Sexual Culture in Africa // An Aids Vaccine by 2007 - Is It Possible? // 'Would Criminalising HIV Transmission Prevent Infection?' // More than a Science Conferrence - a Confirmation of Life's Lessons // Fascinating but not without Flows.

FROM THE EDITOR, MICHELLE GALLOWAY:

The biggest event in the HIV/AIDS world has been the XIII International AIDS Conference. . . As the first international AIDS Conference on the African Continent. . .it united the AIDS world in a flurry of debate, discussion, action and resolve, and, predictably, pitted the scientists against the politicians and the activists against the drug companies. For one week, HIV/AIDS was written about, spoken about and minutely dissected by some of the world's great minds. . .

The overwhelming issues were clear and emphasised repeatedly in speech after speech - access to antiretrovirals, mother-to-child transmission, vaccine development and the perils of government inaction. . . Probably the most important thing in the aftermath of such a comprehensive conference is to ask 'What now?'

Still on the subject of drug-access which, with the impetus of the long awaited, successful Treatment Action Campaign march on the first day, dominated proceedings, it was interesting to watch the ACT-UP occupation of the drug company exhibitions. . .

How do we look and move forward with increased knowledge and awarenes s?.. . . The hope is that this review will remind us all of what was and wasn't said and encourage all to take what we learnt and use it to resolutely step forward to serious action. . ."

COPYRIGHT 2001 Women's International Network
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group