Apply gel on their vagina to prevent HIV

I have got an e-mail - from one-of-my-friends - in which he wrote about a Vaginal gel which offers protection against HIV. My frined got this info from a reputed magazine.

K Chandramouli, director-general, National AIDS Control Organisation, said 'At present, India has 2.7 million HIV patients. We also record 1.7 lakh fresh cases of HIV every year, nearly 40% of which are women. Such a microbicide, once ready for implementation, will greatly benefit women.'

Our scientists found a way to reduce the risk of HIV from an infected partner by 50%. On Tuesday, scientists announced at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna that they had successfully tested a gel, containin' antiretroviral drug Tenofovir, which is usually taken as a tablet by HIV patients. It can also reduce the risk of genital herpes by 51%.

Comic illustration

Bein' hailed as a major breakthrough globally, the CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS programme of Research in South Africa) trial followed 900 HIV-negative, sexually active South African women between the ages of 18 and 40. They did this research on this for two-and-a-half-years and found that the gel reduced chances of HIV by 50% after a year and 39% after 30 months.

Accordin' to NARI director Dr RS Paranjape, 'the gel underwent safety and acceptability study in India as well. The preparatory work for the CAPRISA trial was conducted here along with the Microbicide Trials Network. The overall safety profile of the gel was good and it was well accepted by women. Presently, it provides 40% protection. The scientific community will now look at increasin' this percentage.'

Health secretary K Sujatha Rao said 'this is a major breakthrough, and will especially benefit India's 300,000 strong sex worker community, involved in multi-partner sex. It will also help women who usually do not have the power to insist on condom use and fidelity that put them at high risk.'

If a girl applies this gel on her vagina 12 hours before and after sex, this will reduce the girl's chances of contractin' HIV by 50%. As you see, women can apply this - like creams, rings - on their vagina to prevent HIV transmission.

This will take more than two years to go public. Wait.

Courtesy: My dear friend.