Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia, Inc. - 14 Dec 1995
Edmond Kizito / Reuter

"There was still no dramatic breakthrough for the ultimate cure. Progress on vaccine development remains slow and frustrating," conference chairman Sam Okware told the more than 3,500 delegates in Kampala.

"Moreover, the disease continues to spread to new areas, with sub-Saharan Africa the hardest hit," he added.

In a harsh reminder of the problem at hand, a Cameroonian delegate, 33-year-old Jean-Francoise Mezol, died of AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) in a hospital on the outskirts of Kampala, the conference venue.

The World Health Organization-sponsored Ninth International Conference on AIDS and sexually-transmitted diseases in Africa was reminded of the need for preventive measures against the disease, which is ravaging the world but mostly poor communities.

The scientists met for five days to appraise progress of research into a possible cure or vaccine for the fatal disease which destroys the body's immune system.

With no advance on that front, delegates resolved to step up educational campaigns and increase the availability of condoms, the best known way short of sexual abstinence for avoiding AIDS.

The highlight of the meeting was an announcement by American researcher Phyllis Kanki that studies in West Africa had shown a strain of the virus weakening in potency over time, enabling sufferers to live longer.

Because of the extreme poverty that ensures even the most rudimentary health services are out of the reach of most, AIDS has spread most rapidly in Africa.

Some 11 million adults and one million children with the human immuno-deficiency virus which causes AIDS -- nearly two thirds of the world's recorded cases -- are in Africa, according to WHO figures which account for only a fraction of actual cases.

WHO estimates that more than 4.5 million people the world over have developed AIDS and says the figure could triple by the year 2000.

The meeting, which attracted leading scientists such as Luc Montagnier who first isolated the virus that causes AIDS and was attended by WHO Director-General Hiroshi Nakajima, was addressed on its last day by the U.S. president's adviser on HIV and AIDS.

Patsy Flemming told the mostly-African delegates despite increasing pressure to cut the U.S aid budget, President Clinton would not slash aid aimed at checking the spread of the disease on the world's neediest continent.

Delegates will meet again in two years' time in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, organizers said.

951214
RE951235

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1995. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1995. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .