Press Releases

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.

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.

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.

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.