Announcement

This is the original announcement for the seminar:

The Silent Epidemic –Treatment Issues in HIV/AIDS in the Central East European Region

While the HIV/AIDS epidemic has become “established” in the western parts of Europe, we can register a new wave of infections in the eastern and central regions. The free flow of people over the borders and the exchange of cultures have also brought about a new threat of more and more people getting infected with HIV in the new accession countries and the candidate states. Essential structures, NGO’s and treatment experience are absent or at best fragmented in these regions of Europe. The seminar organised by EATG in Prague aims at spreading treatment experience and awareness to NGO’s, activists and care providers in the countries of the CEE region. In some of the countries HIV/AIDS NGO’s are non-existent or on the verge of becoming dysfunctional for the lack of funding and initiative. In the framework of an intensive three-day exchange of views and know-how we hope to give new impetus to the work of patient organisations and treatment activists in the region. At the same time, we also want to learn more about the situation, difficulties, issues and questions regarding treatment and HIV/AIDS in the CEE area, so that this essential information can be channelled back to the European Union and its decision makers. Preferred participants of the seminar include people living with HIV, HIV/AIDS NGO representatives and HIV/AIDS care providers. Key topics of the seminar will include treatment, psychosocial support for PLWHA, quality of life issues, skills building for NGO’s, peer education.