A three-day international AIDS conference with the central theme 'Prevention and Care - Key to Success' is to be held at Hotel Renaissance, Mumbai from January 17-19, 2003.

The conference that would see the gathering of more than 1000 delegates from 22 different states is being organized by Yuvak Prathistan in association with Maharashtra District AIDS Control Society (MDACS), Maharashtra State AIDS Control Society (MSACS), National AIDS Control Organization (NACO), AIDS Research and Control Centre (ARCON), World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS and AVERT.

The programme would be inaugurated formally by the Governor of Maharashtra, Shri Mohammad Fazal, while the other dignitaries who would grace the occasion include the Union Health Minister, Shri Shatrughan Sinha and Shri Manohar Joshi, Speaker - Lok Sabha among the others.

The gathering, which is said to be the biggest till date, will see about 72 speakers from around the country addressing abstracts and issues concerning HIV/AIDS. Plenary sessions, personal experiences and demonstration of live cases would be the highlights of the event.

According to Dr M. Khetrapal, deputy director of MDACS, "The event would see the gathering of all umbrella organizations who would be expected to share their knowledge and experiences on the said subject. Of the various themes decided, emphasis would be laid on medico-legal issues, social aspects involving the subject, health related issues and on the abstracts that would be presented by various speakers," she said.