Douglas Corrêa
Reporter Agência Brasil

Rio - The 3rd International AIDS Society conference began on Sunday in Rio de Janeiro and will run until tomorrow. Around 5,000 specialists from around the world are participating. Researchers from 114 countries submitted papers, out of which 2,060 were selected to be presented.

Among those attending the opening ceremonies were the president of Botswana, Festus Gontebanya Mogae; the special UN envoy for AIDS/HIV in Africa, Stephen Lewis; the head of Brazil's AIDS program, Pedro Chequer; the president of the NGO, For Life (Pela Vida), Octavio Valente; and Brazilian composer and singer, Caetano Veloso.

At the end of the conference a report will be issued on progress in three areas: basic science, clinical treatment and prevention of AIDS/HIV. Celso Ramos, of the Brazilian Infectology Society, will present a final summary of the work at the conference.

Brazil's minister of Health, Saraiva Felipe, will attend the closing ceremonies. The next AIDS conference is scheduled for 2007 in Sydney, Australia.

Translator: Allen Bennett