AIDS Vaccine Testing To Accelerate In Uganda.

2001 OCT 10 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) --

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) and the government of the Republic of Uganda have signed a partnership agreement aimed at accelerating the development and testing of preventive AIDS vaccines for Uganda and the world.

"Uganda has been a leader in accelerating prevention efforts for AIDS and was the site of the first AIDS vaccine trial in Africa. We are proud to be continuing to work towards finding a vaccine for Uganda and the world," said Minister of Health, Jim Katagugu Muhwezi. "We are pleased to be working with IAVI on this most important project, which we hope will help to bring an end to the epidemic."

"We are excited that the Ugandan government has chosen to collaborate with the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative," said Dr. Seth Berkley, president and chief executive officer of IAVI. "Uganda has shown genuine leadership and commitment in confronting this epidemic," added Berkley, who was assigned to serve as the Ugandan Ministry of Health epidemiologist from 1987 to 1990 while working for the Carter Center.

"Uganda is at the forefront of building effective responses to the AIDS epidemic. That is why we approached IAVI to form a partnership and work on a vaccine, our best hope of ending the cycle of HIV infections here in Uganda," said Crispus Kiyonga, former Ugandan Health and Finance Minister, who has just been named chair of the transitional working group for the establishment of the Global AIDS and Health Fund.

The Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) will work with IAVI to evaluate promising AIDS vaccine candidates that are applicable for use in Uganda. The partners will also work to strengthen the capacity of Ugandan scientists to play an active role in vaccine research and development and to support efforts to strengthen clinical trial infrastructure as preparation for taking the most promising candidate vaccine into efficacy trials as soon as possible.

Uganda has made great strides in AIDS prevention in recent years; however it is estimated that more than 800,000 men women and children in Uganda are infected with HIV and that almost two million children have been orphaned by AIDS. The epidemic is affecting every aspect of national life and development. "Every day hundreds more Ugandans are infected with HIV," Berkley said. "We cannot afford to delay the ...