World AIDS Conference 2000

As anticipated, the trip to South Africa and the conference was amazing. Many persons who visited the booth thanked PAWS for the useful information.

Interestingly, the keynote talk for the opportunistic infections session was "The Truth About Dogs and Cats: Zoonoses of Concern". The speaker did an excellent presentation, covering the zoonoses of concern but emphasizing the important benefits of animal companionship. She even gave a plug for the PAWS booth at the end of the lecture.

The talk was well attended and the following are the take-away messages from the conference:

1. The initial goal of treating or curing AIDS/HIV has changed to controlling AIDS/HIV --
   In the 1998 conference, there were many optimistic reports of HIV-infected persons on HAART (highly active antiretroviral therapy) who had viral loads below detection rate. Recent studies have shown that an HIV reservoir persists in the body that currently cannot be eliminated; as a result, when persons discontinue HAART, the viral loads quickly increase to detectable levels. Therefore, control of AIDS/HIV currently requires lifetime use of HAART.
   
   
2. HAART use is limited --
   Although HAART has greatly contributed to the decrease in number of AIDS-related deaths in developed countries, this option is limiting. Current costs of the medication over long period of time is not feasible for most persons with AIDS/HIV. Additionally, long term use of HAART is limited by toxicity levels and possibly developed resistance to drugs.
   
   
3. Development of a successful HIV vaccine may occur as soon as the next three to four years --
   The best news of the conference was the optimistic projection of an HIV vaccine in the near future. While treatment of AIDS/HIV has not been successful, prevention of AIDS/HIV will be the primary objective to contain the pandemic.
   
   
4. The actual number of HIV-related opportunistic infections continue to decline, but renewed interest in these infections is predicted --
   As HAART options decrease in future years due to toxic and economic limitations, prevention of opportunistic infections will likely increase. Leishmaniasis was proposed as a new AIDS defining illness (ADI). The association of this opportunistic infection from dogs was briefly discussed.

The following countries signed up for more information on the risks and benefits of pet ownership:

Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, Georgia, United States (South Carolina, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, California, Rhode Island, Chicago, Minnesota, Florida, ), Philippines, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Switzerland, Sri Lanka, Mexico, Bangladesh, Botswana, Kenya, Ethiopia, United Kingdom (London), Thailand, Indonesia, South Africa, Zaire, Senegal, Taiwan, France, Congo, Canada, Malawi, Brazil, Malaysia, Angola, and Bulgaria.