Hope for HIV cure brightens.
The Russian Central Research
Institute of Epidemiology has developed a new gene therapy medicine for
people living with HIV, head of the federal health watchdog
Rospotrebnadzor, Anna Popova, said on Wednesday.
“The Central
Research Institute of Epidemiology of Rospotrebnadzor created a
fundamentally new drug for gene therapy, gene prophylactic treatment and
molecular vaccination against HIV.
“A highly active antiviral
drug called Dinavir, which will soon be clinically tested, has been
created,” Popova said on the sidelines of an international conference on
HIV and AIDS in Moscow.
The official noted that Russia was
facing a number a number of problems related to treatment of HIV and
AIDS, including high prices for treatment and lack of proper
medications.
This is very much similar to the problems posed by HIV treatment in Nigeria.
Millions of people have been infected with HIV since it was first discovered
in early 1980s, prompting the development of drugs that would help tackle the deadly virus.
This
is goodnews to Nigeria where it is estimated that every 5 out of 100
persons (5%) has HIV/AIDS. The number of people living with HIV vary
from 1 to 12 in every 100 persons in the various states of the the
country. In 2004, an estimated 3.2 to 3.8 million Nigerians have been
infected by HIV making Nigeria the third highest prevalence rate
worldwide; next to South Africa and India.
Though the rate of
daily infection of HIV has dropped significantly due to efforts of the
federal government, civil society organizations, multinational
organisations, private individuals, among others; people living with the
disease in Nigeria are desperately looking for “HIV cure”.
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