Researchers urge greater AIDS action for women

Experts have called for greater speed in delivering a vaginal gel to extend the options available to the world's women for protecting themselves against HIV. During an address to the UN General Assembly in New York, researchers from the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) said US $280 million annually over the next five years could do well for the rapid development of an effective microbicide. The Associated Press quoted the CEO of IPM, Dr Zeda Rosenberg, as saying: "Vaccines offer the best long-term solution to the epidemic, and microbicides, which could be ready in five to seven years, offer hope to the growing number of women who are vulnerable to HIV." Women are biologically more susceptible to the disease than men, and the growing prevalence of AIDS among them has contributed to a sense of urgency for microbicides, since an AIDS vaccine is nowhere in sight.