CAPRISA Fellows scoop FIDSSA Congress prizes
The 9th Federation of Infectious Diseases Societies of South Africa (FIDSSA) Congress was held in Durban from 3rd – 5th November and focused on infectious diseases, infection prevention and control, clinical microbiology, and paediatric infectious diseases.
CAPRISA Fellows Ms Noluthando Mazibuko-Motau, Mr Kwabena Asare, and Ms Makhosazane Zondi were awarded prizes for their presentations at the Congress.
Mazibuko-Motau, a PhD fellow received the Best Poster Presentation prize for her presentation on the impact of daily oral tenofovir disoproxil fumarate in combination with emtricitabine for PrEP on vaginal microbiota in South African women. She is supervised by Drs Sinaye Ngcapu, (Senior Scientist, CAPRISA) and Douglas S Kwon, (Ragon Institute).
Asare, who is a PhD fellow in Public Health, under the supervision of Prof Nigel Garrett, (Head of Vaccine and Pathogenesis Research, CAPRISA) and Dr Andrew Tomita (UKZN) received the prize for the Best Short Presentation on Bacterial Vaginosis incidence and recurrence among women living with HIV in South Africa.
Zondi, a master’s fellow in Research Psychology won the top prize for Best Oral Presentation. Her presentation examined the efficacy of Women’s Experiences of an Expedited Partner Treatment Intervention in KwaZulu-Natal, in reducing sexually transmitted diseases reinfection and prevalence. Zondi is supervised by Prof Garrett, Professor Mary van der Riet and Ms Kershia Sunjeevan
Photo: (L-R) Ms Noluthando Mazibuko-Motau, Mr Kwabena Asare and Ms Makhosazane Zondi