Conference Themes

Last Updated (Wednesday, 24 September 2008 14:42)

Abstracts are invited in the following Conference sub-themes and related topics:

(A) Overall situation of HIV and AIDS Care, Treatment and Support situation in Tanzania.
1. Situation of HIV and AIDS in Tanzania and need for care, treatment and support
2. Challenges to provision of HIV and AIDS care, treatment and support at different levels with emphasis on primary health care levels in Tanzania
3. Results of the Presidential campaign and other HIV and AIDS surveillance data
4. Hospital based care and post exposure prophylaxis (PEP).
5. Food and nutrition in HIV and AIDS
6. Specific institutional initiatives on HIV and AIDS care, treatment and support

(B) Challenges at primary health care delivery
1. Human Resources for Health crisis
2. Task shifting
3. Supplies, logistics, equipment
4. Capacity building
5. Mal-distribution of HCW
6. Inappropriate therapies

(C) HIV testing and counseling.
1. Voluntary Counseling and Testing (VCT)
2. Provider Initiated Testing and Counseling (PICT)
3. Home Based Counseling and Testing (HBCT)
4. Challenges in testing technologies
5. Early, infant diagnosis
6. Child counseling
7. Pre-marital testing
8. Information sharing
9. Confidentiality and disclosure

(D) Antiretroviral Therapy (ART)
1. Basic information and the current situation.
2. Drug availability, adherence and challenges.
3. Impact and future progress on access to ART.
4. Cost efficiency of ART Strategies.
5. HIV pathogenesis, laboratory diagnosis and disease monitoring.
6. Complications arising from ARV's treatment and their management.
7. Monitoring quality of care and drug resistance at primary health care level.
8. Training and retraining for provision of ART.

(E) Management of common opportunistic conditions in HIV and AIDS
1. Availability and affordability of quality service for prophylaxis and treatment of opportunistic infections
2. Challenges associated with TB and its linkage with HIV and AIDS, including screening for and prophylaxis or early treatment of TB in all PLHIV
3. Testing and counselling for HIV to all TB patients
4. Management of other opportunistic infections
5. National Policies on access to drug in the context of the on-going health sector reform; eligibility, priority of access, financial support, and equity
6. Malignancies in HIV and AIDS; Pathogenesis and management
7. Pathogenesis and management of organ specific non-infectious conditions associated with HIV and AIDS.
8. Application of new research findings to the clinical management of AIDS patients

(F) Home/Community-based Care and Support
1. Guidelines on provision of Home/Community based care and support.
2. Promotion and expansion of community and home-based care programmes.
3. NGOs/CBOs and Faith-based organisations in care and support.
4. Referral systems for patients in need to ascertain continuum of care from home, community to hospital level.
5. Advocacy and education in communities to make them receptive and responsive to the needs of PLHIV and their families.
6. Involvement of PLHIV in planning and implementation of Home / Community based care and Support.

(G) Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) as entry to comprehensive HIV and AIDS Care, Treatment and Support
1. Prenatal care, family planning in reproductive and child health to prevent unwanted pregnancies in HIV positive women
2. Integration of testing and counseling with opt-out option in antenatal care services
3. Postnatal care
4. Care of children and adolescents with HIV and AIDS
5. Involvement of male partners in PMTCT and PMTCT-plus

(H) Human Rights issues in HIV and AIDS Care and Treatment.
1. Care of most vulnerable social groups including (orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), widows, widowers, relatives, the elderly, prisoners, men having sex with men (MSM), drug users, commercial sex workers and others)
2. Human rights, law and ethics in the care and treatment of HIV and AIDS
3. Care of the caregivers
4. Socio-cultural and traditional practices and behaviors in HIV and AIDS/STIs care and treatment

(I) Stigma and discrimination
1. Stigma and Discrimination in health care settings.
2. Stigma, discrimination and denial: Addressing hidden costs in HIV and AIDS care services.
3. Stigma reduction strategies: (HIV and AIDS status Disclosure, Post test clubs etc).
4. Health Care providers living with HIV and AIDS as Role models for stigma reduction.
5. The negative effects of stigma, denial and discrimination in the HIV and AIDS response (e.g. Paediatric ARV access, PMTC service uptake etc).

(J) Vaccine development and Trials
1. Challenges in HIV vaccine development and testing
2. Role of therapeutic vaccines in HIV care and treatment.
3. Building capacity for promoting HIV vaccine trials in Tanzania.
4. Ongoing candidate HIV vaccine trials in Tanzania

(K) Alternative therapies of HIV and AIDS
1. Medicinal herbs in the treatment of HIV-associated conditions and AID
2. Role of traditional healers in care and treatment of HIV and AIDS
3. Safety and efficacy issues in traditional medicine practice
4. Holistic therapies for HIV and AIDS
5. Promotion of constructive use of traditional/home remedies that have indicated a potential for treatment of opportunistic infections.

(L) Community Initiatives and Responses to HIV and AIDS Care, Treatment and Support
1. Meaningful involvement of PLHIV in care, treatment and support at community level.
2. Advocacy for promoting care and treatment.
3. Role of communities in mobilizing resources for care, treatment and support.
4. Work place programmes for care, treatment and support.

(M) Leadership Forum
1. Gender perspectives in Care Treatment and Support
2. Care, Treatment and Support for OVC and MVC
3. Care, Treatment and Support among young people particularly girls
4. Care, Treatment and Support for school children with HIV and AIDS
5. Funding care, treatment and support programs
6. Addressing the bottlenecks (Funds, Human resources, logistics

(N) Information management for Care, Treatment and Support
1. Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
2. Use of information at primary health care level
3. Phone for Health
4. Treatment help line
5. SMS for logistics and controlling stocks
6. Use of PDAs
7. Monitoring and evaluation

(O) Other Conference Activities
1. Exhibitions of scientific, medical and laboratory equipment, nutrients, ARV and related drugs, supplies and other materials for HIV and AIDS care and treatment
2. Satellite symposia, workshops, roundtables and seminars on HIV and AIDS care, treatment and support
3. First Aid
4. Opening and closing ceremonies