Conference on AIDS/HIV begins in Mumbai

The third National conference on HIV/AIDS therapy organised by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) took off at a suburban hotel on Saturday.

The four-day conference will have international doctors and those from across the country. The major emphasis of the conference will be the practicing clinicians involved in HIV/AIDS care to update their knowledge and tackle clinical dilemmas they encounter in daily practice.

There is a pressing need to fill gaps in research and the scientific knowledge about prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, as the number of people living with the disease has grown to alarming proportions, an expert with the ICMR said.

“Factors like consistent viral variation, differential immunological responses in the patients and resistance to therapies are the major impediments to developing effective drugs and vaccines,” said Dr Sanjiva D Kholkute, director, National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health.