ECOWAS Nutrition Forum on Nutrition and HIV

The West African Health Organization (WAHO), a specialist agency of ECOWAS (Economic Community of West Africa States), will hold its 9th Annual ECOWAS Nutrition Forum, from the 20-24 September, 2004 in Cotonou, Benin. The Forum brings together nutritionists from the 15 member states of ECOWAS, and partners who support the forum.

The main objectives of the forum are to:

• Develop common, pertinent and appropriate strategies for preventing nutritional problems in the ECOWAS sub-region
• Promote information and experience exchange amongst nutrition actors, and the operationalisation and strengthening of national nutrition networks in ECOWAS member states.

The forum devotes a day to providing a technical update for participants on a pertinent nutrition issue in the region. The technical theme for this year's forum will be "Nutrition and HIV/AIDS". In spite of considerable efforts made in the management of persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus and access to anti retroviral drugs, the involvement of nutritionists in the planning and implementation of national AIDS control programmes remains relatively weak.

The technical update sessions will:

• Provide participants with the most recent scientific and political orientations around the subject of nutrition and HIV
• Facilitate exchange of experience, best practice and lessons learned among actors and partners working on the theme
• Identify strategies for strengthening the capacity of nutritionists in the region in support of national AIDS control programmes, specifically in relation to providing nutrition care and support for PLWHA and preventing mother-to-child transmission of the disease.

For more information, contact: Dr Ismael Thiam. WAHO Nutrition/Child Survival Specialist, WAHO, 01 BP 153 Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso. Tel 226-97-57-75, Fax: 226-97-57-72,
E mail: ismaelthiam@hotmail.com or wahooas@fasonet.bf
http://www.nutritionecowas.org