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Press Releases

Leading South African AIDS and Covid-19 scientist appointed to the 9-member Science Council of the World Health Organisation
26 April 2021

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Study on viruses that evade antiretroviral treatment advance the search for a cure for HIV
10 October 2019

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Leading AIDS scientist elected to the world’s oldest and most prestigious science academy
17 April 2019

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The African Academy of Sciences and Royal Society announce the African recipients of £25M FLAIR scheme
3 April 2019

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VIDEO Implementing Point-of-Care Viral Load Testing
6 March 2019

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"AIDS Breakthrough Hailed” - Letter to the Editor
20 December 2018

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‘The Last Mile’ – documentary to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the movie Philadelphia and take stock in responses to HIV narrated by Quarraisha Abdool Karim
28 November 2018

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Prestigious Kuwait prize for South African AIDS researcher
22 November 2018

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Scientists discover new genetic markers that identify which people with HIV are likely to progress faster to AIDS-related illnesses
1 May 2018

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Students and Academics to lead the global March for Science in Durban
12 April 2018

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UJ honours pioneering HIV/Aids expert, Quarraisha Abdool Karim with an honorary doctoral degree
25 May 2017

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Leading Scientists unite in a March for Science in Durban
21 April 2017
Leading scientists and academics in KwaZulu-Natal from a range of scientific disciplines will come together with civil societies and citizens in a March for Science in Durban’s city centre on Saturday 22 April.

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Fake news: A new threat to the fight against AIDS
8 February 2017
Fake news is emerging as a scourge; influencing amongst others, presidential elections and share prices.

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New evidence on why young women in South Africa are at high risk of HIV infection
18 July 2016
Three CAPRISA studies provide new information on high rates of HIV infection in young women in South Africa resulting from the “cycle of HIV transmission” involving age-disparate sex and on two vaginal bacteria - one increasing HIV vulnerability and another undermining the efficacy of tenofovir-based topical pre-exposure prophylaxis.

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CAPRISA website comment on the ASPIRE and Ring studies
22 February 2016
"Congratulations to the ASPIRE and the Ring study teams for two well conducted studies. Both these studies have generated valuable new findings and insights," said Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim, Director of CAPRISA in response to the trial results (released at CROI today),

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CAPRISA director praises SA science progress
27 January 2016
South Africa has made significant strides in science over the past decade, CAPRISA director, Professor Salim Abdool Karim, told the country's inaugural science forum held in Pretoria. In his keynote lecture for the Science Forum South Africa, held at the CSIR International Convention Centre

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Knowledge exchange with Sichuan CDC
25 January 2016
As part of the co-operation agreement between the Sichuan CDC and CAPRISA, Natasha Samsunder, CAPRISA Laboratory Manager, visited the Sichuan CDC laboratories in Xichang and Chengdu as well as several health care facilities

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Letter to the Editor of the Sunday Times
21 January 2016
The article “What’s all the noise about? ‘Dr Death’ says what he did for the apartheid state was ‘same as developing new Aids drug’” (17 January 2016) refers. Dr Wouter Basson’s arguments in justifying his apartheid-inspired research by describing it as analogous to AIDS drug development is outrageous in several respects

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Platinum Award for leading AIDS researcher
20 October 2015
While South Africa has made impressive progress in its HIV response, the spread of HIV has yet to be controlled says leading AIDS scientist Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim. “Impressive progress in scientific discovery, resource mobilisation, political commitment and implementation has been achieved, but young women in Africa still have high HIV rates,” said Abdool Karim. “Each day there are about 1 000 new infections in South Africa.”

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Dr Quarraisha Abdool Karim - Laureate of the 2016 L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science Award
6 October 2015
The L’Oréal Foundation and the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organsiation (UNESCO) announced that Dr Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been named one of five “exceptional laureates” of the 2016 prestigious L’Oréal-UNESCO Women in Science Award for her “remarkable contribution to the prevention and treatment of HIV and associated infections, greatly improving the quality of life of women in Africa.”

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EThekwini Municipality Honours its Living Legends
17 August 2015
EThekwini Municipality is excited to announce the 2015 Living Legend Awardees who will be honoured at a prestigious ceremony on Saturday, 29 August 2015 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre.

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Scientist honoured as a Living Legend
17 August 2015
CAPRISA’s Associate Scientific Director Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been honoured as a citizen of the eThekwini Municipality for her significant contributions in HIV prevention research to the communities of eThekwini and indeed South Africa.

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Distinguished AIDS Scientist receives A-Rating from the National Research Foundation
7 August 2015
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim is the first Black academic in the history of the University of KwaZulu-Natal and the second Black woman academic in South Africa to receive the prestigious NRF A-rating for research.

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Nobel Laureate joins CAPRISA’s Scientific Advisory Board
14 April 2015
Distinguished scientist and Nobel Laureate Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi of the Institut Pasteur has joined the Scientific Advisory Board of the Centre of the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA).

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New tenofovir gel study shows no effect on HIV prevention: Lower than expected gel use impact FACTS trial results
24 February 2015
HIV prevention for women suffered a setback today when a study conducted by the Follow-on African Consortium for Tenofovir Studies (FACTS) reported that its results do not confirm the HIV protective effect of tenofovir gel shown previously in the CAPRISA 004 trial. The FACTS 001 trial involving 2059 South African women showed no overall HIV prevention benefit of the gel.

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AIDS Researcher awarded prestigious African Union Science Prize
31 January 2015
World-renowned South African AIDS researcher, Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim was awarded the most prestigious prize for science in Africa, the $100,000 (R1.1million) Kwame Nkrumah Scientific Award presented by the Chairperson of the African Union Commission Dr Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, at the African Union General Assembly in Addis Ababa today.

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Global Recognition For Leading South African Academic And Scientist
26 October 2014
Distinguished academic and renowned HIV researcher, Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been awarded the 2014 TWAS-Lenovo Science Prize - the most prestigious annual prize of The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), based in Trieste Italy. Professor Abdool Karim, Associate Director of the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, has been recognised for her ground-breaking research on HIV prevention in women

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Eminent Scientist recognised for Exceptional Contribution to Science
1 September 2014
Internationally recognised scientist and academic Professor Salim Abdool Karim will receive the Royal Society of South Africa’s ‘most prestigious accolade’ the JOHN F.W. HERSCHEL MEDAL for 2014 at the Society’s Annual Awards Dinner in Cape Town on 2 September 2014.

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New research on potent HIV antibodies opens up possibilities for HIV prevention and treatment
2 March 2014
The discovery of how a KwaZulu-Natal woman’s body responded to her HIV infection by making potent antibodies (called broadly neutralising antibodies, because they are able to kill multiple strains of HIV from across the world), was reported today by the CAPRISA consortium of AIDS researchers jointly with scientists from the United States.

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South African HIV/AIDS trial scoops USAID award
30 January 2014
The Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) 004 Tenofovir gel trial was today announced the winner of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Science and Technology Pioneers Prize. The prize, which is being inaugurated this year, recognises excellence in the use of science and technology to solve development challenges.

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Former Chief Justice Pius Langa dies after long illness
24 July 2013
We are deeply saddened to hear of the loss of our colleague, former Chief Justice Pius Langa, who passed away today in Johannesburg after a long illness.

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UNAIDS to establish international scientific expert panel on HIV
3 June 2013
The Executive Director of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Michel Sidibé today announced the appointment of South African scientist, Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim as Chair of the newly established UNAIDS Scientific Expert Panel. Mr Sidibe made the announcement in Durban, South Africa during his opening address at a UNAIDS Scientific Symposium on the implications of the “Mississippi baby” for public health programmes on mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

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Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim awarded the Order of Mapungubwe
26 April 2013
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim, Associate Scientific Director of CAPRISA (Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa) is being bestowed with the Order of Mapungubwe: Bronze by the South African State President on Freedom Day (27 April 2013) in recognition of her “outstanding work in the field of HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis research and health policy development.” The Order of Mapungubwe is South Africa’s highest honour.

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CAPRISA’S RESPONSE TO THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE VOICE STUDY RESULTS: WOMEN HAVE TO USE TENOFOVIR-CONTAINING TABLETS AND GELS TO SHOW THAT THEY PREVENT HIV INFECTION
4 March 2013
Today’s announcement by the Microbicides Trials Network (MTN) on its tenofovir tablet and gel study (MTN 003) confirmed that low adherence to the prescribed daily pills and gels was the basis for its results which showed no protection against HIV. The results were released at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, taking place this week in Atlanta, USA.

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First participant enrolled in CAP008 tenofovir gel implementation study
7 November 2012
Today, the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) enrolled its first participant in the CAPRISA 008 tenofovir gel implementation study. CAPRISA 008 will provide CAPRISA 004 trial participants with post-trial access to tenofovir gel while assessing the feasibility of providing tenofovir gel through family planning services.

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Study discovers a unique feature of HIV that enables infected people to make antibodies able to kill a wide range of human immunodeficiency viruses
18 October 2012
An AIDS study published today in the journal, Nature Medicine, describes how a unique change in the outer covering of the virus found in two HIV infected South African women enabled them to make potent antibodies which are able to kill up to 88% of HIV types from around the world. This ground-breaking discovery provides an important new approach that could be useful in making an AIDS vaccine.

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PROFESSOR QUARRAISHA ABDOOL KARIM RECEIVES THE 2012 TWAS PRIZE FOR MEDICAL SCIENCE
26 September 2012
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim has been named by the Academy of Sciences for the Developing World (TWAS), as a recipient of the Academy’s 2012 Prize for Medical Sciences “for her exceptional and distinguished contributions to HIV prevention and women's health”.

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Approval of antiretroviral drug for HIV prevention brings us one step closer to ending the HIV epidemic
23 July 2012
Last week, a major milestone was reached when the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the antiretroviral (ART) drug, Truvada, to be given to sexually active, HIV-negative, high-risk individuals for use as a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), for preventing HIV infection.

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ANTIRETROVIRAL PROPHYLAXIS FOR HIV PREVENTION REACHES A KEY MILESTONE – CAN SOUTH AFRICA AFFORD NOT TO IMPLEMENT PREP?
18 May 2012
On May 10, 2012 a landmark recommendation was made by a US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Advisory Committee in support of use of the combination antiretroviral drug, TRUVADA, as a prevention tool against HIV-infection. If this recommendation is accepted by the FDA on June 15, it could pave the way for widespread implementation of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) in communities at risk of HIV infection.

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CAPRISA EXPRESSES ITS SUPPORT OF “WOMENS VOICES FOR HIV PREVENTION GEL” MARCH
26 April 2012
The CAPRISA 004 Tenofovir Gel Trial was conducted from 2007 to 2010 and included about 1000 women from Durban and Vulindlela, KwaZulu-Natal. The results from this study, which were announced in July 2010 at the International AIDS Conference in Vienna, provided new hope for HIV prevention particularly for women who bear a disproportionate burden of HIV infection especially in Africa.

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PROFESSORS SALIM ABDOOL KARIM DELIVERS KEYNOTE SPEECH AT MICROBICIDES CONFERENCE IN SYDNEY
16 April 2012
The with the theme “From Discovery to Delivery” is the premier gathering for scientists, scholars, advocates and donors to present and discuss cutting edge developments in HIV prevention.

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PROFESSORS SALIM AND QUARRAISHA ABDOOL KARIM RECEIVE THE N’GALY-MANN AWARD AND DELIVER THE OPENING LECTURE AT THE RETROVIRUS CONFERENCE IN SEATTLE ON 5 MARCH 2012
6 March 2012
The prestigious N’Galy-Mann Award was presented to Professors Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim in the Opening Session of the 19th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) on Monday 5 March 2012 in Seattle, Washington, USA.

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