Cream invention reduces the risk of AIDS infection by 50%

For the first time in history, scientists have invented a vaginal cream that blocks the AIDS virus. This is considered a major breakthrough in the journey to find medicine against this century's disease.

Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS program of the World Health Organization said: 'We are bringing hope to women, the latest victims of HIV virus, and this cream can help them. We break the trajectory of the AIDS epidemic. '

According to Dr. Salim Abdool Karim, head of research on this cream, this is a great victory not only in poor countries - where the AIDS epidemic is raging, but also for couples that one of them they are unfortunately infected with HIV.

Dr. Salim Abdool Karim.Photo: ukzn

He said the antiseptic cream, when mixed with a drug called tenofovir, could reduce the risk of HIV infection by 1 year of use and reduce 39% after 2.5 years of use compared to a non-medicated cream.

In order to be licensed in the US, this cream needs to demonstrate an effective rate of preventing HIV / AIDS infection at least 80% or higher. Currently, with women participating in the test, this rate is only 60%. Dr Karim said if the amount of tenofovir was increased and persuaded users to use it more often, the rate of AIDS prevention would increase.

Countries may have different decisions about licensing for this cream. In South Africa, where one-third of women in their 20s are infected with HIV, if the cream is popular, it will help prevent 1.3 million infections into 826,000 deaths over the next two decades. .

The results of this study were published by Dr. Karim at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna's Austrian capital on July 20.

Source: AP