Aids-related deaths in South Africa: 1 768 318 at noon on Wednesday April 12
Waiting for grants: International community representatives on the board of the Global Fund to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria have voiced concerns that, unless the process of calling for grants begins soon, grants may not be disbursed this year.
The fund allocates money through proposal rounds in which it asks countries to submit programme proposals.
Groups which have been encouraged to re-submit grant applications, as well as existing grant recipients whose grants are about to expire, are anxious for the round to be launched, the delegation said.
‘Six million of us already die each year [from Aids, tuberculosis and malaria],” the delegation said in a recent press statement. ‘Further delay in launching Round Six is immoral and unacceptable.”
The board of the fund, which will meet in Geneva from April 28 to 29, will consider when to launch the sixth round of grants, said Jon Lidén, the fund spokesperson. —Tumi Makgetla
Aids-related deaths in South Africa: 1 761 672 at noon on Wednesday April 19
Sweet or sour: Clashing findings on whether lemon and lime juice in their vaginas could safely protect women from HIV infection will be presented at an international conference in South Africa next week.
Researchers from the Conrad programme at the Eastern Virginia Medical School, United States, are expected to present evidence that lemon or lime juice can damage the cells of the vagina. Another US-based team from the University of Berkeley will suggest that lime juice is safe if it is used in low concentrations.
Historical documents show that through the centuries, women have used acidic solutions such as vinegar as a contraceptive. But in the past few decades, research has suggested that the acidic juice of lemons and limes could also function as a microbicide.
Studies show that this practice is already common among sex workers in Nigeria, and anecdotal evidence suggests it also takes place in other African countries.
But the safety and effectiveness of using lime juice has not yet been proven. Some researchers are concerned that women could begin using lemon and lime juice with potentially harmful effects.
Earlier this year, Carol Lackman-Smith of the Southern Research Institute in the US presented data showing that 50% solutions of the juices damaged the cells that line the vagina.
The Conrad team is expected to con- firm the finding at this month’s Micro- bicides 2006 conference in Cape Town.
According to the team’s preliminary results, most women who applied pure or 50% dilutions of lime juice to their vaginas later showed signs of damage.
Lackerman-Smith says there are grounds to be concerned about the safety of using lime or lemon juice.
However, Anke Hemmerling of the University of Berkeley will present results in Cape Town that suggest that weaker dilutions of 10% to 20% cause little, if any, damage to the lining of the vagina.
Hemmerling says the difference could be because it is difficult to assess the extent of vaginal damage.
Source: SciDev.Net