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Words of Welcome
It is with great joy and pride that we welcome youall to Cape Town and our wonderful country. We
trust that you will all enjoy what promises to be an
excellent congress at which international speakers
will be presenting the most up to date scientific
discoveries and practices in the varied fields of
transfusion medicine. The scientific forums will
include educational programmes, symposia, plenary
sessions and concurrent sessions.
The programme will pay attention to the needs of resource limited countries with less developed blood transfusion services. Testing, prevention and inactivation strategies focusing on transfusion transmitted diseases, including HIV that ironically originated in Africa and that have changed the landscape of transfusion medicine, will be also be widely covered. The congress thus will provide an ideal opportunity for all participants to discuss and debate their own special interests and priorities with experts and colleagues.
We have prepared an exciting social programme that will give you the opportunity to enjoy one of the world’s most beautiful cities and its scenic environs. We hope you also make use of your visit to join some of the pre- and post-conference tours around South and Southern Africa and view the diverse and unique flora and fauna synonymous with this region. We extend our appreciation to our main sponsors and all the other contributors and participants who have made this congress possible.
This is the first time that an ISBT congress is being held on African soil and thus has great significance for your hosts the South African Blood Alliance and the Africa Society for Blood Transfusion.
We hope your stay in South Africa will be a memorable one!
| Prof. Anthon Heyns Congress President  |
Graham Thurtell Chairman Local Organising Committee  |