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.