2,000 EXPECTED AT AIDS CONFERENCE

Panels will cover policy, research, prevention, as well as latest advances

Nearly 2,000 people with AIDS and HIV and those who serve and advocate for
them once again will converge on Bill Graham Civic Auditorium on Tuesday
through Friday for the 11th national HIV / AIDS Update Conference.

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.