Rome Hosts Int’l AIDS Conference

Rome, Jul 18. -The 6th World Conference on AIDS continues meeting Monday, with more than 5,000 researchers and health professionals and prospects of new advances in the use of antiretroviral therapy.The important biannual event, which opened Sunday, is focused on the latest discoveries in the evolution of a disease that affects nearly 33 million people worldwide.

On Sunday, UNAIDS executive director Michael Sidibe said more people need access to medicine, and that it was "morally erroneous" for millions of people to go without medicine.

It should take less time for scientific discoveries to become real progress for the poor, and more cooperation is needed between states, pharmaceutical companies and international organizations, Sidibe said.

One issue that will be discussed is the outcome of a study that showed how when an infected person takes antiretrovirals temporarily, the risk of infecting for his or her partner is reduced by 96 percent.

The World Conference on Aids ends July 20. (Prensa Latina)