South Africa
Possible new AIDS vaccine─── 13:08 Wed, 02 Dec 2020
There may be a vaccine for HIV soon, according to the head of the Centre for the Aids Programme of Research in SA, Professor Salim Abdool Karim.
eNCA reports he says researchers are currently testing an antibody manufactured in South Africa which could help in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Karim says he is optimistic about a vaccine, as with HIV there is a lot of variability, called genetic diversity, explaining this virus changes itself all the time. He says when you make an antibody against HIV, it will only kill this HIV and not the others.
A few years ago there was a discovery that you get broadly neutralising antibodies, these are very special antibodies that only a handful of people produce naturally.
South Africa remains the epicentre of HIV, with as many as one in five adults infected.
