A cure for Aids? Future funding vital to achieve major advances

With just a few days to go before the international Aids conference opens in Washington, it is being reported that the star attraction, President Barack Obama, now will not be attending.

Presumably diverted by campaigning, he has in the past been a strong advocate for Aids funding and that will be one of the crucial issues being brought up this year.

While there will be a great deal of good news coming out of the convention centre, there is increasing concern that the financial crisis is having an impact on international governments’ willingness to keep funding Aids programmes.

Yet, organisers say, this comes at a time when there is real hope to change the course of the epidemic.  Indeed, the word ‘cure’ is being used more frequently.

Ely Katbira, international chair of Aids 2012, says that thanks to scientific advances, for the first time there is a real opportunity to ‘put a major dent on the epidemics’.

This is the first time an Aids conference has been back to America for 22 years following the lifting of restrictions on people with HIV being allowed into the country.

And even if President Obama cannot make it, at least there will be the US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton (and probably her husband), as well as Lady GaGa and Sir Elton John.

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