BOTSWANA: Unique HIV vaccine trials begin

Botswana's ministry of health on Tuesday said southern Africa's first HIV vaccine trial was underway in the country.

The trial is the first ever to be conducted simultaneously in the US and in Africa, and kicked off on 19 June with the injection of two volunteers at the Princess Marina Hospital in the capital, Gaborone.

"This study is a significant and hopeful step in Botswana's battle against the scourge of AIDS," Botswana's Health Minister, Joy Phumaphi, told the UN news service PlusNews.

The experimental EP HIV-1090 vaccine was specifically tailored for the region's prevalent HIV-subtype 1C.

"This trial marks a new stage in global HIV research. Our understanding of HIV vaccine science grows with each human trial we undertake," the principal investigator of the Botswana HIV Vaccine Trial Unit, Max Essex, confirmed.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews, Children,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]