Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
South African Press Association (Johannesburg) - August 4, 2003
"This must be the first Aids conference I've attended in 10 years where there has been this omission," Cameron said on Monday.
The Supreme Court of Appeal judge said he and other people living with HIV/Aids at the conference were "immensely distressed" that there were no people living with Aids at the opening ceremony or the plenary.
He is scheduled to deliver the conference closing address on Wednesday. Another HIV-positive delegate, who did not want to be named, said: "There is great unhappiness among HIV-positive delegates.
There is no person with HIV in the programme at all, there was no one in the opening ceremony either. It is as if people with HIV are excluded and we are being spoken about."
A conference organiser said the blame was being put on Clarence Mini, who organised the community section of the conference. Mini was not available for comment.
Professor Jerry Coovadia, overall conference organiser, is to meet Cameron and other people living with Aids on Monday. Asked for comment he said he would only do so after this meeting.
The conference, South Africa's first national Aids conference, is being dogged by controversy, with the Medical Control Council's threat to delist Nevirapine for use in preventing mother-to-child transmission, and Cabinet removing treatment for rape survivors from the new Sexual Offences Bill threatening to dominate the conference.
The Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) led a march to the Durban Convention Centre on Monday morning to call on government to pledge itself to the treatment.
TAC leader Zackie Achmat has finally bowed to pressure to commence anti-retroviral treatment to prolong his own life. Achmat previously said he would wait until all South Africans received government-sponsored treatment, but has finally responded to TAC pressure to safeguard his life.
Early conference discussions on Monday morning revolved around HIV and genetics and US experiences in Aids treatment and care.
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