Young women in southern Africa are most at risk of becoming infected with HIV. If they take a pre-exposure prophylaxis like Truvada it could change their lives.
South Africa’s programmes preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children have been hugely successful. But there are still gaps that need to be filled.
Women who were found to have lied in a clinical trial testing anti-HIV drugs were heavily criticised. But there are several factors that drove them to lie.
Scientists are developing various products that can provide contraception and protection from sexually transmitted infections and HIV at the same time.
For pregnant HIV-positive women taking anti-retrovirals is critical for their babies’ health. Intimate partner violence affects adherence, and must be addressed as part of women’s HIV treatment.
With nearly one-fifth of the globe’s HIV positive population, South Africa has the largest anti-retroviral program in the world. But HIV prevention still presents a big challenge for the country.
Lynn Morris, University of the Witwatersrand; Nono Mkhize, National Institute for Communicable Diseases; Penny Moore, University of the Witwatersrand, and Zanele Ditse, National Institute for Communicable Diseases
Two major clinical trials will be conducted in South Africa in 2016 to test ways of preventing new HIV infections.
Malawi and Tanzania have created programs to provide sexual and reproductive health services and HIV interventions. But men who have sex with men say it’s still difficult to access care.
There are many lessons Southern Africa can learn from Cuba, which became the first country in the world to eradicate mother to child transmissions of HIV and syphilis.
Professor of Health Economics and Policy and Pharmaco-economics/pharmaco-epidemiology in the Departments of Health Administration & Management and Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria
Medical Scientist at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases; Research Associate at CAPRISA; Research Professor in the School of Pathology, University of the Witwatersrand