NEWS: HIV researchers target an African-focused agenda

HIV researchers target an African-focused agenda


from NEW VISION ONLINE
Sunday, 24th January, 2010

Students interact with Scientists at UVRI. The centre hopes to train future scientists to help fight the disease

By Gladys Kalibbala


THE World Health Organisation (WHO) has proposed to change the time when people living with HIV start on ARVs. Dr. Kihumuro Apuuli, the director of Uganda Aids Commission, says WHO recommends that people living with HIV start on ARVs when their CD4 count is below 350 and not 250 as has been the case. “This means about 700,000 people will be eligible for the drugs which we cannot afford,” he explained. Kihumuro was speaking at the recently concluded 5th African Aids Vaccine Programme (AAVP) conference at Serena Hotel in Kampala. He said, currently, of the 400,000 people in Uganda who require ARVs, only 191,500 access them. Kihumuro said: “This is a big challenge on the African continent and we need a vaccine to be found urgently.” Participants at the conference noted that Africans needed to take advantage of the AAVP Secretariat’s shift to Uganda to concentrate on finding an AIDS vaccine and reduce the spread of the disease on the continent. The headquarters of AAVP which have been based in Geneva since 2000 will soon be transferred to Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), Entebbe. Uganda beat Botswana and South Africa to host the organisation. Uganda was selected because of the Government’s commitment and the good research environment. AAVP is a network of African HIV vaccine stakeholders led by Africans across the continent, with a vision for an AIDS-free Africa. It was created with the specific intention of mobilising support and advocating a more African-focused vaccine agenda. The programme intends to involve Africans in the development of the vaccine supported by WHO and United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). During the conference, it was noted that the AIDS pandemic continues to be the most serious public health challenge facing the world today, with Africa having the highest infections with unprecedented medical and socio-economic consequences. “The best hope to end the AIDS pandemic remains in the development of an effective HIV vaccine and its distribution to all communities,” said Dr. Ponsiano Kaleebu, the acting director of UVRI. He says 30 years after the first cases of AIDS were reported and HIV identified as a the cause, Africa, with only 10% of the world’s population, is home to more than 65% of the 33 million people living with AIDS worldwide. Researchers say the annual rate of new infections continues to rise. For instance, in 2007, about 2.5 million people were infected. According to the 2006 UNAIDS report, about 40 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, 62% of them in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report adds that about 25 million people have so far died worldwide as the infection rate increases to an estimated 4.3 million people annually. However, only about one million HIV-infected people currently receive antiretroviral therapy in sub-Saharan Africa. “This shows that treatment alone cannot help, we need a vaccine to halt the spread,” Dr Sam Okware, the commissioner for health services at the health ministry observes. He adds that developing an effective HIV vaccine is the greatest challenge in biomedical research. Prof. Fred Wabwire of Makerere University Walter Reed Project noted that many women drop out of the vaccine trials and called for their participation. “It will be unfortunate if we come up with a vaccine which works for men without knowledge of how it works for women,” he said. The researchers urged African leaders to embrace the programme by showing their support through funding. Jeannette Kagame, the First Lady of Rwanda, was appointed AAVP’s ambassador and will represent the association at various meetings and policy forums. Kagame urged leaders to raise an awareness of Africa’s concerns at the international level and stop downplaying the gravity of the pandemic since this may hinder the vaccine’s development process. Likewise, Janet Museveni, the First Lady of Uganda, called for other preventive measures alongside the ABC (abstinence, be faithful and condom use) strategy if the pandemic is to be curbed. There was also a call to control TB which has become more challenging. It was noted that the existing BCG vaccine is ineffective against the disease and poses risks in HIV-infected children. There was also a call to control TB which has become a challenge with the emergency of multi-drug resistant strains, especially in people living with HIV. Researchers highlighted the need for boosting BCG vaccine to meet this challenge