Experts in Virology Meet in Marseille this Month to Find Curative Therapies agai

nst HIV and Tackle other Viral Threats

More than 900 scientists are expected in Marseille, France, on 21-23 May 2014 to
find answers regarding implementation of anti-HIV therapy and anti-HCV therapy
and the spread of new viral threats.
Toulon, Var, France., May 05, 2014 -- The International Symposium on HIV and Eme
rging Infectious Diseases (ISHEID) will take place at the Parc Chanot Congress C
enter in Marseille, France, on May 21-23, 2014. More than 900 international expe
rts are expected to make progress on HIV cure, worldwide implementation of anti-
HIV andanti- hepatitis C (HCV) therapies, and address the issue of other emergin
g viral diseases.
First, HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, infects 34 million individuals worldwide
with 29 millions in sub-Saharan Africa where access to antiretroviral therapy i
s limited. The World AIDS Organization (WHO) has defined the main goal regarding
this pandemic to be Zero new infection, zero discrimination, zero death but WHO is st
ill far from reaching it.
The ISHEID will tackle the issues of HIV prevention, HIV vaccine, HIV treatment acc
ess, with the main international experts of the field said Alain Lafeuillade, MD, P
resident of the Symposium.
Then, HIV cannot yet be eradicated from an infected host but there is hope to fi
nd a functional cure in a next future. This kind of cure is a situation where HIV is n
ot eradicated but its replication controlled without the need to maintain antire
troviral therapy. Update on these approaches for a cure along with the developme
nt of an anti-HIV therapeutic vaccine will be given at the ISHEID.
Regarding HCV, this virus infects more than 300 million individuals worldwide an
d leads to liver cirrhosis and cancer. In 2014, for the first time, are coming t
o the market new anti-HCV drugs able to definitively cure every patient infected
by HCV. But the cost of one single treatment averages 100,000 euros, meaning th
at access is already limited for economical reasons. Medical doctors, patients a
nd activists cannot accept that politicians and pharmaceutical companies give ac
cess to these treatments only to HCV-infected patients from rich countries.
These economic considerations are also in the front line regarding viral researc
h against new viral threats that challenge the world. For 2 years the deadly Mid
dle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronovirus is spreading outside its initial regio
n of development and millions of pilgrims expected to Mecca next July and at the
fall have the potential to accelerate MERS-co spread.
Hepatitis E is already widely distributed and there is no therapy against it.
The nightmare of virologists is the existence of deadly flu strains like H5N1 an
d H7N9 that have the potential to rapidly spread with worldwide air travel, as E
bola virus can too. The prediction is that there is a risk that these viruses be
come the main challenge within a few years. The ISHEID will also tackle these th
reats.
The ISHEID is organized under the auspices of the French Agency for AIDS and Vir
al Hepatitis Research (ANRS).
Contact:
Alain Lafeuillade
Department of Infectious Diseases, General Hospital,
ISHEID
Toulon, france
+3-349-414-5084
lafeuillade@orange.fr
http://www.isheid.com