AIDs Breakthrough: Gel May Help Prevent Infection

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AIDs Breakthrough: Gel May Help Prevent Infection

It's the medical breakthrough that's been decades in the making: a new vaginal gel that appears to block the AIDS virus is boosting hopes worldwide that the dreaded disease can be brought under control .

The promise for the unlicensed drug is so great, especially in African nations, South Africa is considering its distribution before it is officially approved for use.

That is how badly medical experts and scientists want to get the gel, known as a microbicide treated with the drug tenofivir, out of the testing labs and in to the hands of women, especially in countries where men often refuse to wear condoms during sex.

Africa is home to most of the world's 33-million HIV cases.

Initial tests of the gel by the South African government and USAID in South Africa with 889 women showed a 39 percent reduction in HIV infections over a 32-month period.

An additional benefit of the gel is that it also cuts down the risk of a woman getting genital herpes by 51 percent.

Even the traditional stumbling block of many new anti-AIDS drugs, their high cost, seems to be a non-issue so far. Researchers have said the gel and applicators should cost just pennies per use.

While the new treatment holds great promise, anti-AIDS treatments that offered great hope have disappointed before.

That is why every step forward in the march against HIV/AIDS is welcomed with such fanfare. 



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