UNC COMPLETES STUDY ON ‘VAGINAL RING’ BELIEVED TO REDUCE HIV PREVALENCE AMONG WOMEN

The University of North Carolina (UNC) Project says it has completed studies on vaginal ring and is awaiting approval from regulators.

The ring will be used by women as a method of preventing HIV as it offers 73 percent protection.

UNC Project Study Coordinator Tchangani Tembo said on Monday that the Dapivirine vaginal ring has been proven as a method of preventing women from contracting HIV and they are waiting for approval from regulators in order to put it on the market.

Speaking with reporters after a media training on biomedical prevention options on Monday at UNC premises in Lilongwe, Tembo said the ring contains drugs that prevents women from contracting the HIV virus whenever they have slept with an HIV positive partner.

He added that the study shows that there are no side effects associated with using the ring.

“There are three methods that were are researching on. We have a vaccine which we are done with the enrollment process, currently we are simply doing follow ups on the  ring and neutralizing anti-body  as methods of preventing one from contacting HIV “he explained.

Tembo added that the new positive preventive methods are coming in to deal with the illness by 2030.

Stressing on biomedical HIV prevention reporting, Producer at Zodiak Broadcasting Station (ZBS) Joab Frank Chakhaza advised the media practitioners to always report things that they are aware of in simple and straightforward language to the general public.

Chakhaza also stressed on the need of understanding the terminologies that are used when reporting on biomedical HIV prevention.

The training was supported and funded by Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR AFRICA TRUST (SAT).