Cooperation: Italy and South Africa together to fight HIV
ROME, Italy, June 28, 2011/African Press Organization (APO)/ — Fighting HIV. This was the goal that on 19 April 2011 saw tests begin on a possible “curative” vaccine developed by Italy’s Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Higher Institute of Health). The University of Limpopo’s MeCRU Centre will be the key centre for this new stage of the research.
In Italy, the first stage of the testing has already been successfully completed and stage two is nearing completion. In South Africa, in collaboration with the National Department of Health, the vaccine will be tested on 200 volunteers aged 18-45, explained Barbara Ensoli, coordinator of the team that developed the vaccine.
The project is part of a wider and varied cooperation programme between Italy and South Africa, for which Italy allocated over 22 million euros in 2007. It is now addressing a major challenge, since South Africa has the highest degree of HIV infection in the world (at least 5.5 million South Africans are HIV positive).
SOURCE
Italy – Ministry of Foreign Affairs
