BY DESMOND CHINGARANDE
HIV and Aids activist, Tendai Westerhof this week co-chaired a conference in the Untied States on retroviruses and opportunistic infections (CROI) as a woman living openly with the disease.
Westerhof co-chaired the symposium on anti-retroviral treatment and reproduction together with Meg Doherty of World Health Organisation (WHO).
CROI is an annual global conference where clinicians and scientists with an interest in understanding the current state of knowledge regarding the use of anti-retrovial treatment in women gather to exchange notes.
Westerhof told NewsDay that: “The platform offers us the opportunity to explain to the world what efforts we are making in fighting the disease in Zimbabwe and Africa as a whole.
“The platform also updates in all scientific researches and finding of the cures, vaccine of the HIV and treatment of various opportunistic infections. As we raise the Zimbabwe flag high we were also happy to note that our national hero Oliver Mtukudzi’s music was played throughout the day in every plenary and sessions room, the corridors and it brought such melodies and exciting atmosphere as the international community remembered him.”
Westerhof said Zimbabwe was among the three southern African countries cited by WHO as having drastically reduced incidents of new HIV infections in recent years.
CROI 2019, which started on March 4, closed yesterday at the Washington State Convention Centre in Seattle.
