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UK pumps millions into anti-HIV gel trials

    JOHANNESBURG

    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.

    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

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