Cal Cohen, M.D.	Ann Collier, M.D.	Judith Currier, M.D.
Judith Feinberg, M.D.	Alvan Fisher, M.D.	Pablo Tebas, M.D.

The XIII International AIDS Conference took place in Durban, South Africa from July 9-14, 2000. The Body was pleased to provide coverage of this important conference. Covering the conference for The Body were some of the leading HIV specialists in the United States. They have helped put in perspective the hundreds of reports coming out of Durban. Among the doctors providing coverage were Cal Cohen, M.D., Ann Collier, M.D., Judith Currier, M.D., Judith Feinberg, M.D., Alvan Fisher, M.D., and Pablo Tebas, M.D.

12,000 people from all over the world attended the conference, including an immense assortment of people involved in HIV/AIDS care or prevention. Those attending included scientists and clinicians, health care workers, public health agencies, people living with AIDS, AIDS non-governmental organizations (NGOs), AIDS services organizations (ASOs) and the media. Since 1985, the International AIDS Conference has taken place regularly -- it now takes place every two years.

The theme of this year's conference was "Break The Silence," which the conference coordinators refer to as the urgent need to break the silence on equal access to treatment and care; improved and ongoing prevention of HIV transmission; governmental and private sector support of HIV education and resources; human rights; access of appropriate and meaningful information to all sectors and ensuring a supportive environment for people living with HIV/AIDS (PWA) in society.

This theme was particularly appropriate this year as Sub-Saharan Africa continues to have the largest number of people living with HIV -- each day about 1,500 people in South Africa are infected with HIV. Thus one focus of this year's conference in South Africa was the crucial need for response to the epidemic in South Africa and other developing countries around the world.

Funding for this conference coverage at The Body was provided, in part, by unrestricted educational grants from Agouron Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Bio-Technology Group Corp., DuPont Pharmaceuticals Company, Glaxo Wellcome, Ortho Biotech Inc., and Roxane Laboratories, Inc.