South Africa to start clinical trials of AIDS vaccine
At 8:35 on July 21, 2009 Source: "Science and Technology Daily"
Pretoria, July 20 Xinhua South African Medical Research Council (MRC) announced today that they presided over the development of an AIDS vaccine in two clinical trials will be officially entered, indicating that South Africa suffering from AIDS, the AIDS problem in developing countries vaccine research has made significant progress.

Mbe Anthony Wu, director of MRC, said the early clinical trials, 36 volunteers will be conducted with the aim of an AIDS vaccine safety and efficacy assessment. He disclosed that both the design and development of the vaccine is completed in the University of Cape Town, at the same time by the U.S. National Institutes of Health to help the United States after 12 volunteers have become a test of the vaccine are.

Mbe Wu pointed out that AIDS has brought enormous challenges in South Africa. By last year, South Africa, about 5.2 million AIDS-infected persons, the number of first world countries, especially the women suffer the most, the age of 20 to 34-year-old young women, about 1 / 3 have unfortunately been infected by the virus.

South African Government is aware that, in view of the Southern African population prevalence of subtype C strains of HIV to develop effective vaccines at affordable prices for South Africa is essential. As early as 1999, the South African Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Science and Technology launched a joint program of AIDS vaccine in 10 years to invest 250 million rand to support AIDS vaccine research. Wu mbe proud to say, about 250 scientific and technical personnel involved in the study, in the process, not only a large number of doctoral training, a number of academic papers published at the same time in South Africa to establish a sustainable development of biotechnology model. Like Brazil, South Korea and other emerging countries, are working hard to develop its own AIDS vaccine design and R & D capability, but South Africa is the first phase of clinical trials to reach the country.

As a result of AIDS vaccine R & D is full of risks, some people it would be better to invest heavily in AIDS prevention and education wise. In this regard, mbe Wu explained: "Although South Africa's condom distribution and sex education have done a good job, but every day there are still hundreds of people infected with HIV, the AIDS vaccine in South Africa is absolutely necessary." He pointed out that South Africa AIDS Vaccine R & D scientists in the process of the establishment of the complex technical system, the same can be used to develop tuberculosis and avian flu vaccines. If the next global influenza outbreak, each country will be busy with the development of vaccines. South Africa can not rely on others to have their own vaccine research and development of technology and industrial capacity is very important. (Xuehua Xinhua)

(Responsible editor: Zhu Ye (internship))