How far are we after 20 years of 16-day campaigns?
On the 20th anniversary of the global Sixteen Days of Activism campaign on gender violence, Shuvai Nyoni Kagoro asks whether ‘the millions of dollars spent in cash and human time’ have significantly reduced the violence women and other marginalised groups face ‘because of their gender’. She concludes that a constant cycle of planning, implementation, and measuring to asses progress and devise new strategies is needed.
Big business invests millions of rands every year in the sectors of education, health, social development and job creation as part of its corporate social investment (CSI) budget; and securing that spend makes up a vital part of the fund-raising efforts of every non-governmental organisation (NGO). But just how much of that money is allocated to those NGOs and community projects that provide care and treatment for those afflicted with HIV/Aids?
Failure to implement HIV policy in prisons could affect everyone
There is a growing epidemic in South African society: one that is preventable, one that is well known by our society; but instead of dealing with it, we choose to bury our head in the sand and ignore it.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 21 September 2011 07:37
Since Aids first became a global awareness issue, there were two things we knew for certain: it was a guaranteed death sentence, and there was no cure.
Although new HIV infections in South Africa dropped by 35% between 2002 and 2008, behavioural changes and implementation of HIV prevention programmes on a massive scale are imperative if the country were to have a realistic chance of achieving its goal of halving new infections by next year, as stated in its HIV and AIDS/STI Strategic Plan for South Africa (NSP 2007-2011).
The AIDS Institute, Nobel Prize Winner Join on World AIDS Day to Call for More Therapeutic Vaccine Funding
Friday, 23 April 2010 08:32
The AIDS Institute, Nobel Prize Winner Join on World AIDS Day to Call for More Therapeutic Vaccine Funding
Washington, DC (Marketwire) -- In honor of World AIDS Day, The AIDS Institute (TAI), one of the nation's leading advocacy organizations for support of people with HIV/AIDS and their providers, joined Nobel Laureate Dr. Francoise Barre-Sinoussi, in calling for government leaders, patient advocates and the research community to expand therapeutic HIV vaccine research.
TAI believes with more research funding, biotechnology treatments such as therapeutic vaccines could lead to dramatic improvements in care for the estimated 33.4 million people living with HIV.
"This kind of research needs a lot of money," said Dr. Barre-Sinoussi. "For basic research, but also for the trial to see if it's working or not. We need to have more funding for new scientists, young scientists that would like to come to us with innovative, new, creative ideas. This is the future."
New Path to Therapeutic HIV Vaccine Discovered by Studying Immunologic Profile of Rare HIV Controllers
Friday, 23 April 2010 08:28
Oslo -- Based on encouraging results from pre-clinical research, Bionor Immuno AS, today announced intentions to take the therapeutic and potentially preventative HIV-vaccine candidate Vacc-C5 into a Phase I/II clinical trial. The research results indicate that Vacc-C5 may induce a protective antibody response in HIV patients similar to that found in patients with slow or non-progressing disease.
"The very slow or non-progressing HIV infection observed in a small minority of patients, often referred to as 'controllers' because of their ability to live symptom-free with HIV, has been the subject of academic interest for years. The discovery of these antibodies in such patients could lead to a significant shift in the approach to treating HIV. The results have been presented to the Company's Clinical Advisory Board and with very encouraging feedback," said Birger S?rensen, CEO of Bionor Immuno.
Vacc-C5 is the second vaccine in Bionor's pipeline. Vacc-4x, acting by a different mechanism (cell mediated immunity), has undergone a multi-centre placebo-controlled Phase IIB trial with 134 HIV-patients who have temporarily stopped taking daily ART. Results from the study are expected in October 2010.
Clinical Trials in South Africa Help Fight HIV/AIDS
Friday, 23 April 2010 08:20
South African scientists are launching clinical trials that will study preventive and therapeutic HIV vaccine candidates. The vaccines, developed by the South Africa AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) and the University of Cape Town, will undergo human testing at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and the Desmond Tutu HIV Center in Cape Town.
Elise Levendal, interim director of SAAVI, said South Africa is one of the few developing nations to design an HIV vaccine and see it progress to human clinical trials. The therapeutic approach attempts to stymie the progression of HIV if infection occurs during the trial, and tests whether the vaccine can boost the immune response in HIV-positive volunteers. In the preventive approach, HIV-negative volunteers will be studied to assess whether the vaccine can prevent infection.
How far are we after 20 years of 16-day campaigns?
How Business can remedy the HIV situation
One down, millions to go
We are winning.
Making strides in effective campaigns
Oslo -- Based on encouraging results from pre-clinical research, Bionor Immuno AS, today announced intentions to take the therapeutic and potentially preventative HIV-vaccine candidate Vacc-C5 into a Phase I/II clinical trial. The research results indicate that Vacc-C5 may induce a protective antibody response in HIV patients similar to that found in patients with slow or non-progressing disease.
South African scientists are launching clinical trials that will study preventive and therapeutic HIV vaccine candidates. The vaccines, developed by the South Africa AIDS Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI) and the University of Cape Town, will undergo human testing at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto and the Desmond Tutu HIV Center in Cape Town.