West Bengal Sexual Health Conference at Kolkata.22-24th September 20

[Guest guest]

Dear Participants,

On behalf of the Health & Family Welfare Dept., Govt. of West Bengal

and the West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society it gives

me great pleasure to invite you all for the 4th Annual Sexual Health

Conference at Kolkata.

With the spread of HIV/AIDS showing no signs of slowing down, India

faces one of its most serious health challenges. Unless adequate

measures are developed within the health system, especially with

regard to human resources, it will be almost impossible to arrest the

epidemic. We can at best only hope to slow down its exponential

growth, because the ground reality is that some of the main

determinants of the HIV/AIDS scourge, like the staggeringly large

size of migratory and mobile populations, poverty and increasing

urbanization cannot be wished away for a long time to come.

The eastern region of India is already experiencing serious,

localized epidemics, affecting millions of people, due to the risk

that migratory and mobile populations put themselves to and the rise

in intravenous drug use. The states of Manipur and Nagaland are in

the midst of a highly prevalent HIV/AIDS epidemic. So it becomes

imperative that the eastern states especially West Bengal, take

urgent and adequate steps to confront the epidemic by building an

alliance of all resources, human or otherwise. West Bengal has a low

HIV epidemic despite the existence of the causative factors, probably

due to the innovative approach and active prevention work done in and

around Kolkata.

I sincerely hope that adequate partnerships are built among

participants interested in taking up prevention and care and support

work.

I hope that the conference management and the traditional hospitality

of the people of Kolkata leave fond memories among all the

participants.

I look forward to welcoming you to Kolkata.

Asim Barman, IAS

Prin. Secretary Health & Family Welfare

Government of West Bengal and

President, WB State AIDS Prevention & Control Society

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http://www.wbsapcs.org/Conference/conference.html

West Bengal State AIDS Prevention & Control Society

C/O Project Director, Bhawani Bhawan Complex,

Alipore, 31/1 Belvedere Road, Kolkata 700 027

Tel: 0091-33-2448 / 3036/7, Fax: 0091-33-2448 3038

e-mail: secretariat@...

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Conference Co-ordinator

Paramita Banerjee

E-mail: banerjeeparamita@...

Mobile No.: 98311 04051