| Experts caution on HIV/Aids cure excitement | Send to a friend |
| Sunday, 18 July 2010 08:45 |
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By Joseph Mtebe It could be too early for the public to start celebrating the news that a cure for the deadly HIV virus that causes Aids has finally been found, medical experts have warned. It was reported last week that US-based scientists may have finally hit the home stretch in the long search for a cure for the disease that has ravaged nations, killing millions of people annually. The US researchers said they have discovered a protein that can protect against a wide range of HIV, and that they now can design a vaccine against the incurable virus. Dr Garry Nabel of National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, who led the US study, said the discovered proteins, called antibodies, are used by the bodies defence system to identify and neutralise foreign objects, such as bacteria and viruses. “I am more optimistic about an Aids vaccine at this point than I have been probably in the last 10 years,’ Dr Nabel was quoted as saying, sparking unprecedented world-wide coverage of the discovery. Welcoming the development, local medical experts and stakeholder in the HIV/Aids campaigns have termed it a positive development towards finding a cure for the scourge. But Professor Fred Mhalu of the Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences warned that it is too early for Tanzanians to celebrate, thinking that a cure for HIV/Aids has been found. Professor Mhalu said there have been similar reports in the past, which are yet to fully yield anticipated and positive results. “It is a stepping stone towards finding a final treatment, but I can’t say for sure it is already a solution, although prospects are truly high at such level,” he told the Sunday Citizen. Professor Mhalu heads the university’s department of Microbiology and Immunology, which has also been involved in similar research for trials for a HIV/Aids cure using volunteers from the army. He said their research has gone through two stages with satisfying results. Asked how long it could take for the US colleagues to confirm their case, Prof Mhalu said: “That is merely a protein antibody, let’s wait until a vaccine that can stimulate it is attained, you can’t say exactly how long.” He said scientists will receive a clear picture during the forthcoming Aids vaccine conference scheduled for Atlanta, Georgia from September 28 to October 1. The conference is a major venue for medical researchers, providing a forum, in which highest scientific HIV researches are presented and debated. Meanwhile, the Tanzania network for religious leaders living with HIV/Aids (Tanerela) has expressed its optimism over the latest development. “I have been following the debate and I am of the view that this time round we might have a cure,” said reverend Amin Sandewa, a former Luthran church living with HIV/Aids. The impact of this, he said, is that they will have more people voluntary testing for their HIV status. “Many people now fear to test, but once we have the cure, I think, more people will come out and test,” he said. For his part, the minister for Health and Social Welfare, Professor David Mwakyusa, said there is a need to check and make sure of some facts first. Speaking over the telephone from Dodoma, Prof Mwakyusa said: “Usually we are guided by scientific journals, and the World Health Organisation. But now I would say what I have seen indicates preliminary reports.” He added: “It is only when we go through them and convinced it is suitable for our country, we’ll be able to say much. There are things like costs and suitability of the cure to Tanzania.” Efforts in the past to find a vaccine that could defeat the mutations of the virus have been almost impossible. Last September, researchers reported the biggest success yet with a vaccine that appeared to slow down the rate of infection by about 30 per cent among Thai volunteers. But the trial left many questions unanswered. Scientists have been looking for parts of the virus that do not mutate, so they can design a vaccine that will protect against the constantly changing versions. Ends Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites           |
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