Dr Abdool Karim explains how to use an applicator with gel

The gel offers moderate protection to women against HIV – reducing a woman’s risk of getting HIV during sex by 39%.

But among women with high adherence (80% or more) the efficacy was 54%.

It also provided 51% protection against genital herpes infections.

This is the first tool of HIV prevention that is within the control of women.

This is also the first positive result from a microbicide trial, after 11 trials testing six candidates in the past showed no effect.

It’s a day to celebrate since the results show prevention research is moving in the right direction.

Principal investigators, Dr Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, their team and the 889 female volunteers, have given the microbicide field a major boost.

But the study, which is a proof of concept trial, needs to be repeated to scale to get independent confirmation of these results.

They are being presented at 1pm today at the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria by the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

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