Search
  1. Home
  2. Southern Africa
  3. Botswana

Unique HIV vaccine trials begin

    JOHANNESBURG
    Botswana's ministry of health on Tuesday said southern Africa's first HIV vaccine trial was underway in the country. The trial is the first ever to be conducted simultaneously in the US and in Africa, and kicked off on 19 June with the injection of two volunteers at the Princess Marina Hospital in the capital, Gaborone. "This study is a significant and hopeful step in Botswana's battle against the scourge of AIDS," Botswana's Health Minister, Joy Phumaphi, told the UN news service PlusNews. The experimental EP HIV-1090 vaccine was specifically tailored for the region's prevalent HIV-subtype 1C. "This trial marks a new stage in global HIV research. Our understanding of HIV vaccine science grows with each human trial we undertake," the principal investigator of the Botswana HIV Vaccine Trial Unit, Max Essex, confirmed.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join