Toronto hosts HIV/AIDS conference

[Guest guest]

Toronto hosts HIV/Aids conference

Twenty-four thousand delegates have gathered for a big

international conference on HIV and Aids, which began in Toronto on

Sunday.

Organisers say there is an urgent need to extend access to drug

treatment and methods of preventing HIV infection.

It is now 25 years since Aids was recognised, but a vaccine for the

HIV virus still remains elusive despite huge advances in drug

treatment.

The numbers infected with the virus that causes the disease now tops

45m.

The epidemic continues to have its worst effect in the poorest

countries.

This conference will hear some positive news.

Male circumcision is emerging as a promising potential method for

preventing new infection and teams of researchers are trying to

develop microbicides.

These are creams or gels that women could use to help protect

themselves.

Progress

Speakers such as Bill Clinton and Bill Gates will ensure that the

conference has a high profile.

Mr Gates, the founder of Microsoft and a high-profile

philanthropist, is to give the keynote address at the opening of the

conference.

Speaking at a news conference ahead of the official opening, Mr

Gates said national governments still need to work harder to make

inroads against the spread of HIV/Aids.

" A woman should never need her partner's permission to save her own

life " Bill Gates

" Obviously the Aids epidemic is going to require all actors,

particularly governments, to dig deep and make this a high budgetary

priority. "

And he said progress in the development of microbicides offered real

hope to millions of people: " A woman should never need her partner's

permission to save her own life. There's progress on these, but the

pace has been too slow. "

The organisers have defended the $20 million (£11m) cost of staging

the event.

They say that money raised by sponsorship goes back into research

and scholarship programmes.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4787923.stm