Summit to focus on ending Aids epidemic

If we forget the human face behind the HIV and Aids epidemic, the virus will triumph.

Professor Lorraine Sherr, of the International Scientific Board, says this will be a main focus of the 13th Aids Impact Conference, hosted by Stellenbosch University and the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), which starts today at the Century City Conference Centre.

The plenary session will include speakers from leading institutions and will bring together delegates from 54 countries including researchers, prevention workers, community members, policymakers and others to probe the dynamics of a changing HIV/Aids epidemic and address issues related to prevention, treatment and care.

The 2017 Cape Town conference is titled "What will it take to end the epidemic?".

“If we grasp the needs of humanity we can pinpoint a turning point in the journey to eradicate Aids,” Sherr said.

Sarah Skeen, of Stellenbosch University and co-chair of the conference, said: “Despite the vast importance of medical inquiry and advancements in the fight against HIV, attending to the humanitarian and social ‘face’ of the epidemic are invaluable.”

The HSRC’s Professor Heidi van Rooyen, also a co-chair of the conference, added that to stem the epidemic in Africa, poverty, gender inequality and gender-based violence, which fuel the spread of HIV among vulnerable populations, required urgent attention.