Kathmandu, Feb 03: In the backdrop of rapidly advancing threat of hiv and aids in the South Asian region, a two-day high level conference on the epidemic kicked off here today with the aim of reversing the spread of the virus in the region by 2015.

Experts, government officials and young people attending the regional conference on "accelerating the momentum in the fight against HIV/Aids in South Asia" vowed to step up the drive against the epidemic to halt its spread. Inaugurating the conference, Nepal's Prime Minister Lokendra Bahadur Chand said that he was concerned over the pace at which the virus was engulfing the world.
"Even the thought of the potential socio-economic devastation the disease would bring to us and out children if unchecked is frightening particularly in the weakest of our economies," he said.

Two ministers from Afghanistan are participating in the meeting, alongwith top health officials from India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Over 140 representatives from eight South Asian countries are attending the regional conference aimed at implementing broader action plans for HIV/Aids prevention and care in the region to meet the goals and targets set at the un special sessions in June 2001. Noted film director Mahesh Bhatt is also among the distinguished personalities present during the meet.

Bureau Report