African leaders set to craft out effective solutions to HIV scourge

Mr Meles Zenawi,
Prime Minister of Ethiopia

African leaders set to craft out effective solutions to HIV scourge

The 16th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA 2011) will provide a platform for effective African solution toward defeating the scourge once and for all.

The Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Mr Meles Zenawi said this on Sunday at the opening of the conference in Addis Ababa the capital of Ethiopia.

The theme of the Conference is “Own, Scale-Up and Sustain.''

Zenawi said that the rate of new HIV infections had declined to 25 per cent in many Sub-Saharan African countries, stressing that was encouraging.

He, however, complained that the gains had remained fragile because “our response to the epidemic will not be successful until prevention efforts are intensified''.

“I truly believe that effective prevention is the surest `cure’ to halting and reversing the spread of HIV”,he added.

The Ethiopian prime minister said that for African countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) six target, they would require more aggressive and innovative ways in addressing the social, cultural and economic factors that made people individually and collectively vulnerable to HIV infection.

He stressed the need for African countries to develop innovative and sustainable strategies for mobilising new resources.

In his speech, the President of Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA), Prof. Robert Soudre, said “in spite of the tangible achievements, HIV and AIDS remain major burden in Africa  and people are still getting infected''.
He said the full engagement of AU in terms of conventions on public health had been ratified by Heads of States, noting that Africans needed a scientific commission to address the issues of HIV and AIDS, TB, malaria and related diseases to facilitate the implementation of universal access.

He added that “Africa must prepare to harness new and emerging preventive and treatment strategies being investigated, including `test and treat’ and possible role of treatment as prevention.''

The conference
Also speaking, the Chairman of ICASA 2011, Dr Yigeremu Abebe said this year’s conference was divided into three areas of focus, which are; scientific, Non-Abstract Driven (NADs) sessions and community programmes.

Abebe said awards would be given to the best abstracts presented by young investigators below the age of 35 to encourage scientific research in Africa, which is currently facing challenges.

According to reports, 109 countries are participating in the ICASA 2011
conference.

NAN/Adekusibe/Ekata