Scientists say they are witnessing progress in efforts to discover HIV cure despite the challenges.
This was during a Media Science Cafe organized by the Health Network in Uganda (HEJN-U) in Kampala.
The HIV cure has remained elusive in the last 30 years amidst the establishment of the Joint Clinical Research Center (JCRC) in the country to fight the epidemic.
During the cafe, the Makerere University Walter Reed Project (MUWRP) Deputy Executive Director, Dr. Betty Mwesigwa noted that the challenge in HIV cure research is mainly that the virus changes and evades the immune system by hiding in the body cells.
She says that though there are such challenges, there is progress so far achieved through participation in the HIV Obstruction and Persistence Elimination (HOPE), which is funded by the National Institute of Health to find a cure.
Dr. Henry Mugerwa, the Director of Research at JCRC, explained that HIV is difficult to cure since it integrates into a person’s DNA and becomes part of it.
Moses Nsubuga, also known as “Supercharger”, the Executive Director of Joint Adherent Brothers and Sisters Against AIDS (JABASA), requested doctors treating people living with HIV to develop a strategy to help them understand the medication they are taking, its importance, and the potential risks of not using it correctly.
By Francis Lubega
19th Sept 2024
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