http://www.weekendpost.co.za/article.aspx?id=461152

PLEASE NOTE: The article inaccuratley reported on the number of trial participants. In fact, MDP 301 involved 9,395 sexually active, HIV-uninfected women who enrolled at six sites in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

A MICROBICIDE study involving 11000 women from six African countries will present its results in November, Deputy President Kgalema Motlanthe told a SA National Aids Council conference today.

“Positive results would add to the tools women could use to protect themselves from HIV,” Motlanthe said at the HIV prevention for women and girls summit in Kempton Park.

“Many women, especially those who live in poor settings, do not have the ability or the knowledge to negotiate safer sex, this despite the fact we have a Constitution deeply rooted in a human rights culture,” he said.

“This remains a priority issue and needs to be addressed on all fronts.

“Indeed, the development and implementation of tools that can be used by women to protect themselves, such as microbicides and female condoms is an imperative.

“Let me assure you the government of South Africa will continue to support research into microbicides as well as to procure and distribute large numbers of female condoms,” he said.

Microbicides are substances designed to prevent or reduce the sexual transmission of HIV or other sexually transmitted infections.

Motlanthe said the government acknowledged women were more vulnerable to HIV than men, with almost 60% of all new infections occurring in women.

“For younger age groups, women could represent up to 76% of all those who are infected,” he said.

The disempowerment of women was one of the key drivers of the county’s epidemic despite the gains made since 1994, said Motlanthe.

“We know poverty, multiple concurrent partners and gender-based violence contribute to maintaining high infection rates in our country.

“We must work harder together to rid our society of these ills,” he said.

Referring to a possible Aids vaccine, Motlanthe said while vaccines were considered gender neutral, work would have to be done to ensure women had the same access to a vaccine as men.

“This is not a given. In fact, it is not a given any HIV-prevention tool – even if it is targeted at women and girls – will reach them, unless we make a concerted effort to ensure it does,” he said.

“We shall not rest until women have power over Aids, control over their own bodies and power over their lives,” he said.

“Together we can minimise the impact of this dreadful pandemic and ensure that we create conditions for [an] HIV-free generation.” – Sapa