JOHANNESBURG – South African research that helped produce a promising anti-AIDS gel will change the nature of the fight against the disease, the head of the university that pioneered the research said Tuesday.
Malegapuru Makgoba, vice chancellor at the University of KwaZulu-Natal on South Africa’s east coast, described the project that created the vaginal gel as a “milestone” for impoverished women, policymakers, and scientists in combating the disease that has plagued the African continent for three decades.
“These research findings will not only significantly alter the shape and form but also the future direction of this devastating epidemic,” Makgoba told reporters in the port city of Durban, where most of the researchers are based.
South Africa, a nation of about 50 million, has an estimated 5.7 million people infected with HIV, more than any other country. It is the largest recipient of PEPFAR funds.
The researchers say the gel, known as a microbicide, can protect four out of 10 women from HIV infection.
The gel, spiked with the AIDS drug tenofovir, cut the risk of HIV infection by 50 percent after one year of use and 39 percent after 2 1/2 years, compared to a gel that contained no medicine.
Additional results proved that the gel was effective in preventing 51 percent of genital herpes infections in women.
