MOZAMBIQUE: African leaders meet with experts on AIDS gel

African leaders and international health experts met in the Mozambican capital, Maputo, this week to discuss ongoing efforts to develop a gel that protects women against HIV infection.

Former Mozambican first lady Graca Machel, who was part of the delegation, stressed the importance of investing in tools such as microbicides to fight the pandemic.

"The battle against HIV/AIDS can be won ... [but] the world needs to act now to commit the resources and political will to scale up research and development for microbicides," media association PRNewswire quoted Machel as saying.

Members of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations have been urged to increase investment in microbicide research and development to help slow HIV infection rates among women in developing countries.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

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