The “socio-cultural” responses to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, particularly in Africa, will come under the spotlight next month at the 5th SAHARA conference in Midrand.

SAHARA stands for the Social Aspects of HIV/AIDS Research Alliance and this conference will put topics that can be controversial, like male circumcision, on the agenda and make space for African voices to be heard.

Medical male circumcision has been scientifically proved to reduce the chance of men getting HIV by about 60%. But this does not mean it is universally accepted or popular. The SAHARA conference in Kenya in 2007 exposed the conflicting opinions on this.

The 2009 SAHARA conference will focus on human behaviour and the social forces that influence the epidemic. This contrasts to the HIV vaccine conference in Paris last week, which put biomedical elements of the virus under the microscope.

Themes at the conference from 30 November to 3 December are:
Track 1: HIV surveillance (Dominant and alternative approaches)
Track 2: Drivers of the epidemic (Including socio-cultural determinants)
Track 3: Prevention (Including facilitating and inhibiting social and cultural factors)
Track 4: Treatment, care and support
Track 5: Application of research evidence

South Africa’s Human Sciences Research Council, UNAIDS, the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, SADC, UNESCO and AU institutions (including NEPAD) will play a major role in making the conference a success.

Related posts:

1. New era in HIV epidemic by next SA AIDS conference? THE good news that HIV infection rates in infants in...
2. African scientists shaping HIV/AIDS research HIV/AIDS studies conducted in Africa are making a significant contribution...

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.