Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - Monday, Marcy 22, 1999
Ulysses Torassa - Examiner Medical Writer
As in past years, the conference combines updates about the latest scientific advances in AIDS and HIV treatment with discussions about policy and the social aspects of the disease. For the first time, it is being sponsored by the American Federation for AIDS Research.
The conference is organized along several tracks, including those dealing with research and clinical issues, public policy, prevention and mental health. Special emphasis also will be given to affected populations such as youth, minorities, gay / lesbian / bisexual / transgendered persons, substance abusers and women.
Among the scheduled sessions:
*Two update sessions about the latest treatment options and results from clinical trials research, presented so it is easily understood by patients and service providers who don't have a science background.
*Discussion and debate on how soon after diagnosis patients should begin drug therapy. Some doctors believe in waiting to delay the time before a person develops resistance to the medications.
*Explorations of the San Francisco Department of Public Health's new program that seeks to give high doses of medications to people newly exposed to HIV (within three days of exposure) in hopes of cleansing their system of the virus.
*A discussion of the medical use of marijuana for people with AIDS. A national science panel recently endorsed the limited use of marijuana for AIDS patients with otherwise intractable symptoms, such as poor appetite. A UC-San Francisco researcher who is conducting the country's only study on the effects of smoked marijuana on people with HIV and AIDS will talk about the issue from a medical and an ethical perspective.
*Discussions focusing on older people with AIDS and HIV. More infected people are living longer, and there are a significant number of people over 50 who are being diagnosed.
In addition, the conference includes an exhibition of artwork by people with HIV / AIDS, their caregivers and friends; plays and performances on the theme of HIV / AIDS; and an exhibition area featuring 100 service organizations, pharmaceutical companies and others with products or services of interest to people with HIV / AIDS.
The conference costs $300; $125 for people with HIV / AIDS and students. More than a quarter of the attendees have been granted scholarships.
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