What: The 16th ICASA Conference -- "Own, Scale-up and Sustain" 

When:  December 4 – 8
Where: Millennium Hall, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

This week, MCHIP joins the 16th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections in Africa (ICASA), a major international AIDS conference that takes place biennially in Africa. This year’s conference is taking place at a significant moment, as 2011 marks the 30th year after AIDS was first discovered as a new disease; 10 years after the United Nations General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) Political Declaration on AIDS; and 5 years after the Global Declaration towards Universal Access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support.

ICASA 2011 aims to serve as a platform for sharing of progress towards universal access to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support in the continent, which is a milestone of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG 6).
See how MCHIP will be participating below:
 

Events

• Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision: Cost, Impact and Challenges of Accelerated Scale-Up in Southern and Eastern Africa
  5 December, 5:30 – 7pm, Nechsar Room
  Save lives, save money, save our future… scale up voluntary medical male circumcision!
  MCHIP’s Hally Mahler and Kelly Curran join the UNAIDS and PEPFAR to discuss progress to date and challenges to overcome regarding VMMC. 

Presentations:

Monday, December 05, 2011

Innovations and Best Practices (Location B4: Walia, Session MOAE0203)

• Marya Plotkin, Tanzania, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer: HIV Positive Clients and Cervical Cancer Screening Services in Tanzania: Linkages that Help Reduce Cancer-Related Deaths among HIV Positive Women (4:15pm)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Male Circumcision in the Context of HIV Prevention (Location A3: Fasiledes, Session TUAC0901)
 

• Augustino Hellar, Tanzania, Program Manager: Male Circumcision for HIV Prevention Safe Even in High Volume Settings: The Example of Iringa, Tanzania (10:45am)

HIV Prevention in MARPs (Location B1: Awash, Session TUAC1205)

• Thomas Machera, Kenya: Improving Enrollment into HIV care and treatment through expanded Prevention with Positives Services (4:45pm)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Telling It Like It Is: The Role of the Media (Location A2: Axum, Session WEAD1305)
 

• Hally Mahler, Tanzania, Chief of Party: Is Male Cicumcision Available in Iringa, Tanzania?: A SMS System Providing Free Informaiton on Service Locations Increases MC Uptake, Impacts Post-Operative Compliance (4:45pm)

Collaboration and Partnerships in HIV (Location A5: Omo, Session WEAE1002)

• Maureen Chilila, Zambia, Program Manager: Increasing MC Services delivery through demand creation and mentorship (4pm)

Posters:
Monday, December 5, 2011, 9am – 6pm, Poster Exhibition Area
 

• Tigistu Adamu, MCHIP-USA, HIV/AIDS Team Leader:  Notification and Management of Post Circumcision Adverse Events and General Service Inquires Using Government Hotline: The Swaziland Experience (Session MOPE262
• Fulgence Ngeze, Tanzania, Regional Manager: HIV in Marginalized Communities – The Pastoralists (Session MOPE112)

Tuesday, December 6, 2011, 9am – 6pm

• Kelly Curran,  Director, HIV/AIDS and Infectious Disease: Referral Helps, Escorting Patients Helps More, but Integration is Best: Providing HIV Testing and Counseling in TB Clinic Increases Testing Update from 15 to 97 Percent in Huambo Province Angola (Session TUPE096)
• Lusekelo Njonge, Tanzania, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer: Improving HIV Testing and Counselling Programs through Participatory Assessments (Session TUPE107)
• Dennis Buwembo, Swaziland: Training of Health Workers on Adult Male Circumcision and Adolescent Male Circumcision Under Local Anesthesia for HIV prevention (MC) in Swaziland, Using a Blended Approach (Session TUPE222
• Yacouba Ouedraogo, Burkina Faso, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer: Improving PMTCT Service Quality through Standards-based Management and Recognition (SBM-R) Process in Burkina Faso (Session TUPE057)

Wednesday, December 7, 2011, 9am – 6pm

• Abebe Shume, Ethiopia, Team Leader: Identifying the Unmet Need for Medical Male Circumcision among New Military Recruits in Ethiopia (Session WEPE075)
• Fatma Kabole, Tanzania, Program Director: The START UP SUPPORT for new HIV and AIDS Service Initiation and Institutionalization (Session WEPE079)