Meet the IRP Fellows Covering the Durban 2016 AIDS and TB Conferences

The International Reporting Project (IRP) is pleased to select five international journalists who will cover the 2016 AIDS conference and TB pre-conference in Durban, South Africa.

Durban 2016

By

June 17, 2016

The International Reporting Project (IRP) is pleased to announce the international journalists who will report on the 21st International AIDS Conference taking place in Durban, South Africa, from July 16-22.

Sumitra Deb Roy is a journalist for The Times of India in Mumbai.

Andrew Green is a freelance reporter based in East Africa.

Hannah McNeish is a British freelance journalist based in East Africa.

Jordyn Taylor is a health staff writer at Mic.

Unwana Udobang is a multimedia journalist, writer, poet and filmmaker based in Lagos.

Follow them on our Twitter list to receive updates during the trip, and look for other social media posts with the hashtag #IRPFellows.

Photo: Brian Negin

The theme of the conference, “Access Equity Rights Now,” highlights the unequal access of HIV-positive patients to health care around the world.

Although many gains have been made in treating and preventing the spread of HIV, significant challenges still exist. More than 60 percent of HIV-positive people still cannot access antiretroviral medications. Moreover, marginalized groups—including sex workers, women, young people, GLBT communities, drug users and others—are at an increased risk for HIV infection.

In addition, tuberculosis remains one of the world’s deadliest communicable diseases. The two-day TB pre-conference will address progress made in combating the airborne disease, which frequently infects those with compromised immune systems, including people living with HIV. The pressure to halt TB in its tracks has mounted as rates of multi- and total-drug resistant strains have emerged and spread.

For more information, please contact the International Reporting Project at 202-663-7761 or at [email protected].