Africa: Africa Must Lead HIV Cure Research or Repeat Past Delays, Experts Warn
[Nile Post] Africa must take charge of HIV cure research or risk repeating past delays in accessing lifesaving medical innovations, the head of the Africa HIV Cure Consortium, Albert Machinda, has warned.
The Africa HIV Cure Consortium, led by Albert Machinda, has warned that Africa must take the lead in HIV cure research to avoid repeating past delays in accessing life-saving medical innovations. Machinda highlighted Africa's historical dependence on medical breakthroughs developed outside the continent, which has delayed access to HIV treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), and COVID-19 vaccines.
He emphasized that Africa accounts for about 65% of people living with HIV globally but contributes less than one percent of global HIV cure research, largely due to the focus of research in the Global North where HIV transmission patterns and virus subtypes differ from those in Africa. To address this gap, the consortium, established two years ago, aims to build community awareness, strengthen scientific capacity, harmonise regulatory systems, influence government policy, and mobilise domestic financing for HIV cure research.
Brief written by urgent.news from AllAfrica Health's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
