This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing theresources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject andinvestigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source,and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed isfor the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator.The best hope of controlling HIV lies in the development of intervention strategies such as topical microbicides and vaccines that prevent HIV infection. HIV is most often transmitted by sexual contact and women are more likely to be infected than men. In sub-Saharan Africa where 25 million people are infected, young women of reproductive age now make up more than 60% of all adult HIV/AIDS cases. While condom use remains the most effective protection for women against sexual transmission, such protection requires partner consent that is unlikely to be successfully negotiated by women in the developing countries under the current cultural environment. Thus, there is an urgent need for novel methods to reduce HIV transmission and disease that put the power of use in the hands of women. Additionally, it is essential that any effective AIDS vaccine protects women and girls, as well as men, from infection. Given the significant challenges that lie ahead for vaccine, and most likely for microbicide development as well, novel approaches that examine the potential synergy between these two preventive measures should be considered. A partially-effective microbicide might show significant synergy with a partially-effective vaccine.
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