UK pumps millions into anti-HIV gel trials

The UK Government this week pledged almost US $45 million towards the African trials of a microbicidal gel to prevent HIV infection in women. British International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said field trials - the final stage of determining the effectiveness of the gel - would be conducted in four months' time in Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and South Africa. "HIV/AIDS is the biggest killer in Africa. Most new infections occur among young women who are frequently unable to refuse sex, or to insist on the use of a condom ... if effective, [the gel] could help women to protect themselves against HIV infection, and help reverse the spread of the disease globally," Benn told the British Press association. Research estimates that over a three-year period, an effective microbicide could prevent up to 2.5 million new HIV infections worldwide.