The 26th National conference of Indian Association for Study of Sexually Transmitted Diseases & AIDS organized by the department of Dermatology & Venereology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi concluded here on October 20, 2002. The focus of the conference was on STDs in women and children. The conference had brought together about 200 experts and scholars in the fields of dermatology, venereology, epidemiology, microbiology, molecular biology and medicine from various parts of India and abroad.

According to Dr V K Sharma, chairman of the organizing committee, HIV infection is taking pandemic proportions and is the third commonest public health problem in the priority list of National Health. "STIs are important as they have serious adverse effect on health and can cause infection of genitals, infertility, abortion, ectopic pregnancy (a surgical emergency), "he said. The infection is also responsible for eye infection, impaired vision and hearing, pneumonia and neonatal death. Cancer of cervix, the commonest cancer in India is also caused by HPV and STI, he said.

Issues related to STD & HIV infection, psychosexual disorder, sexual abuse, women and child STDs, role of NGOs in the management of HIV infection and latest advances in molecular biologic techniques for the diagnosis of various STDs were extensively discussed.

Among the foreign speakers, Dr J Van Dam, representative, Population Council, USA, critically evaluated the relevance of syndromic approach in STD management. He focused on its use, especially at the primary health care level in developing countries to reduce the global burden of STDs. Dr Jyoti Dhar from United Kingdom spoke on the interactin between HIV & STD. Prof B Kumar from PGI, Chandigarh, discussed the issue of asymptomatic STI as they form upto 50 per cent of the infection in some diseases and are major cause of spread of STIs and infertility. Dr J K Maniar from Mumbai discussed the strategies to cut down the mother-to-child transmission of HIV, that is being taken up by NACO at the national level.

A debate on the topic "Which is the commonest STD in India" was also part of the programme.