WASHINGTON, Feb. 13 /PRNewswire/ -- A president, a prime minister, an ambassador, and one of the foremost scientists in the field of HIV/AIDS research are among the impressive list of speakers who will address the first international AIDS conference to be held in the Dominican Republic next month.
The conference, called ‘A Multicultural Caribbean United Against HIV/AIDS,’ will be held March 5-7, and is expected to attract more than 1,800 participants from every country in the Caribbean, the area of the world with the second-highest incidence rate of HIV infection. The Conference goals include heightening the awareness of HIV- and AIDS-related issues in the region, disseminating the latest research, and fostering collaboration and communication throughout the Caribbean.
Among those scheduled to speak at the conference are: * Hipolito Mejia Dominguez, President of the Dominican Republic * Denzil L. Douglas, Prime Minister of St. Kitts and Nevis * Donna Christian-Christianson, U.S. Virgin Islands Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives (invited) * Rosa de Mejia, First Lady of the Dominican Republic * Mildred Trouillot-Aristide, First Lady of Haiti * Jean William Pape, M.D., Director, Centres GHESKIO, Haiti; Professor of Medicine, Weid Medical College, Cornell University
Topics to be presented and discussed include treatment, care and support for people with HIV or AIDS; mother-to-child transmission of the disease; stigma and discrimination; immigration and migration issues; drug resistance and vaccine research; women’s issues; and, the economic impact of HIV and AIDS. Complete Conference program information can be found at http://www.caribbean-march-2004.org/.
To make the information accessible to all, the conference will be conducted in Dutch, English, French and Spanish. Attendees will include researchers, health care and service providers, and people living with HIV or AIDS from the Caribbean and around the globe.
This conference is sponsored by the University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus, The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), and The Caribbean Epidemiology Centre (CAREC), in collaboration with the Office of AIDS Research, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
CONTACT: Peter Velasco of Ruder Finn Inc., +1-202-974-5025, or velascop@ruderfinn.com.
Centre; Office of AIDS Research; NIH; HHS
University of Puerto Rico; Caribbean Community; Caribbean Epidemiology
CONTACT: Peter Velasco of Ruder Finn Inc., +1-202-974-5025, orvelascop@ruderfinn.com, for the University of Puerto Rico
Web site: http://www.caribbean-march-2004.org/
