Showcasing Canadian Efforts in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS at AIDS 2012 in Washington

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - July 20, 2012) - The Canadian AIDS Society (CAS) is proud to announce it will one again host Canada Exhibit for the third consecutive time at the International AIDS Society Conference, AIDS 2012, held in Washington, DC. The conference will take place from Sunday, July 22 through July 27, 2012.

Canada Exhibit, funded by the Public Health Agency of Canada, is a partnership, guided by CAS, of 35 organizations, including federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as non-governmental organizations and community-based AIDS service organization. It highlights the work being done in field of HIV/AIDS by over 100 Canadian organizations, both domestically and abroad.

"This is THE destination for international conference delegates to learn about Canada's role in making HIV history, as well as for Canadians to meet with their counterparts from both Canada and around the globe," says Monique Doolittle-Romas, Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian AIDS Society. "It's a prime opportunity to put Canada's efforts to fight HIV up on the world stage."

Visitors to the conference are welcome to drop by at Booth # 35 of Hall D, on the Exhibit Floor. The booth at Canada Exhibit will offer a bulletin board to post announcements about Canadian activities at the conference or to leave messages for other delegates, two areas to meet quietly and chat with delegates, as well as a learning area, where the presentations will take place.

A looped video will also feature Canadian milestones in the response to the pandemic, from the first AIDS diagnosis in our country, to the passing of Bill C-9, the Canadian Access to Medicines Regime, as well as new and innovative HIV vaccine discovery and social research projects highlighted this on World AIDS Day 2011.

Throughout the conference, Canada Exhibit will also highlight hour-long presentations by various groups and individuals working in HIV/AIDS nation-wide on a vast range of topical HIV issues, including treatment as prevention, criminalization of HIV non-disclosure and HIV and hepatitis C co-infection, to name just a few. (Consult the attached Appendix for a complete list of all presentations). Volunteers at the booth will also offer visitors a souvenir USB key with a sample of some of the unique and ground-breaking work being done in HIV in our country.

Keeping Canadians abreast of conference events, CAS staff on-site will be tweeting out messages with highlights. To keep updated, visit the Twitter feed: @canadaaids2012 (followed through #canbooth). You can also become a Facebook friend at: http://www.facebook.com/canada.washington.

Canadian AIDS Society

The Canadian AIDS Society is a national coalition of over 120 community-based AIDS organizations from across Canada. Dedicated to strengthening the response to HIV/AIDS across all sectors of society, we also work to enrich the lives of people and communities living with HIV/AIDS. We accomplish this by advocating on behalf of people and communities affected by HIV/AIDS, facilitating the development of programs, services and resources for our member groups, and providing a national framework for community-based participation in Canada's response to AIDS.