The solution to AIDS sounds a lot smaller than the epidemic it is meant to overcome: microbicides.
The Center for Global Engagement, GlobeMed and World Resources Chicago sponsored a conference on microbicides and HIV/AIDS on Wednesday.
The conference featured leading activists in the field, including Michael Diamond, president of World Resources Chicago; Jim Pickett, director of advocacy at the AIDS Foundation of Chicago and Dr. Harry Moultrie, pediatrician at Harriet Shezi Pediatric AIDS Clinic in Soweto, South Africa.
Microbicides are a new class of products under development that a woman could use vaginally to protect herself and her partner from HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, according to the conference’s Web site. They have the potential to be produced as a gel, cream, sponge or intra-vaginal ring that could be used for months at a time.
There is also a movement to develop rectally inserted microbicides for men who have sex with men as well as for women, since the number of women engaging in anal sex is on the rise, Pickett said. Many leading scientists believe that microbicides are the future of HIV prevention and that it is likely that they will be available before an effective vaccine is found.
According to a mathematical model developed by researcher Richard Hayes, if 20 percent of people in 73 countries use a 60 percent effective microbicide during half of their sexual activities, 2.5 million cases of HIV infection will be avoided. The focus would be on countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, where more than 25 million people are infected.
As a pediatrician in South Africa, Moultrie witnessed many aspects of the “incredible crassness, violence and discrimination” that AIDS patients face in Africa.
“Take your child home, let your child die, don’t waste my time,” was the typical response of many doctors to mothers with HIV-infected children, Moultrie said. Complicating the matter is the fact that South African President Thabo Mbeki does not believe HIV causes AIDS, he said.
While the prospect of eradicating the HIV/AIDS epidemic seems more palpable with the development of microbicides, there is a long way to go before there will be an effective microbicide on the market, according to conference speakers.
“In terms of microbicides, we are at the boombox stage,” said Pickett, drawing on the analogy of music players evolving from the “ugly, clumsy phase” to the smaller modern iPods and MP3 players.
The current problem microbicide researchers are facing is a lack of funding, Moultrie said. The current budget for microbicide research under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS’s Relief is $144 million. Conducting a study may cost anywhere from $60 to $80 million.
The Microbicide Development Act, which would provide for more funding, is currently under debate in Congress. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) is one of the main supporters of the bill, but there are still many “recalcitrant Illinoisans” who will not sign on to the bill, Pickett said.
Pickett encouraged the audience to call their senators and representatives to support the bill.
“It can be a simple message,” Pickett said, displaying a method of effectively contacting congressmen.
“Microbicides are the future,” said Harishi Patel, a University of Illinois-Chicago alumnus who works with HIV patients in Uganda and came to the lecture to network and learn more about the stories of the people hosting the conference.
“Hearing these people’s stories fuels me to continue with my work,” Patel said.
Reach Tiffany Wong at [email protected].
