The First International congress and the Fifth National Seminar on AIDS in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences
SBMU Social Relations: Prof. Masoud Mardani , Infection DPT professor, shed light on the first international congress and the fifth national seminar on AIDS in in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical sciences which is planned to be held on Nov. 11-13, 2014 in SBMU Imam Khomeini International Conference Hall.
Prof. Mardani, Scientific Director of this program, stated: Nowadays AIDS and its socio-economic, psychological and cultural effects have been considered as one of the most significant health and treatment concerns worldwide and of course in Iran. Having experienced 32 years of epidemic disease of AIDS in the world, recently the incidence of new cases has remarkably declined in some countries, so that their health officials claim that HIV has been successfully controlled.
Given the consistent efforts of the Health Ministry of Iran and Prisons Organization in terms of harm reduction, the incidence of new cases of HIV has been controlled or even reached the minimum level in injecting drug users. But unfortunately, there has been an increase in HIV cases via sexual transmission method , and a decrease in the age of HIV patients, and an increased rate of incidence among women which is indicative of a warning alarm of the epidemiologic pattern of the disease changing from injecting drug users to sexual intercourse. This new change in the epidemiologic pattern of the disease should be tackled with consistent and systematic programs in terms of methods of HIV prevention induced by sexual transmission.
He also mentioned that organizing training seminars and programs can help to raise community awareness in terms of methods of HIV/AIDS transmission, and serious confrontation with the social stigma of AIDS can help us to combat the increasing trend of the disease. That is why, SBMU Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine Research Center in collaboration with the WHO, Communicable Disease Management Center (the Ministry of Health), SBMU Deputy of Health and Deputy of Research and Information Technology have intended to hold “ The First International congress and The Fifth National Seminar on AIDS” on Nov.11-13, 2014.
Prof. Mardani referred to the main aim of this seminar as familiarizing physicians and related fields of medicine with the latest scientific information and research findings on AIDS. He also noted this event has been held biennially over the last eight years.
The scientific Director mentioned some of the principal objectives of this seminar including familiarity with the new updates on AIDS & HIV in the world and in Iran, retraining physicians and medical personnel in terms of methods of prevention and treatment, reviewing mental health issues in AIDS /HIV patients, providing researchers with a research attitude regarding AIDS in Iran and the world.
He also explained about the extreme necessity of organizing this seminar due to the increased incidence of AIDS in Iran, the change in epidemiologic pattern of the disease from injecting drug users to methods of sexual transmission, lack of physicians’ awareness and other fields of medicine, absence of AIDS vaccine as well as the high risk nature of the disease itself and transmission to others in the community, and of course the present social stigma of AIDS in society.
It is notable that this seminar provides participants with 14.5 points of continuing medical education. Deadline for article submission is Oct 23rd, 2014. Participants are kindly required to pre -register on the continuing medical education website: www.ircme.ir(program NO.41570) , and the final registration will be done at the seminar venue. Please refer to http://idtmrc.sbmu.ac.iror contact 22439963-8 for further information on article submission, and send articles to 5thaidscon@sbmu.ac.ir