Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Sunday Times (Johannesburg) - May 4, 2003
Ilse Fredericks
The initiative is a joint effort by the South African Medical Research Council, the University of California in San Francisco, the University of Zimbabwe and the US-based company, Ibis Reproductive Health.
Dr Charlotte Ellertson, chief executive of Ibis Reproductive Health, confirmed this week that the grant was made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Gita Ramjee, head of the MRC's HIV/Aids Prevention Research Unit, said trial sites would be set up in Umkomaas and KwaXimba in KwaZulu-Natal and Harare in Zimbabwe with the location for an additional trial site still to be determined.
Ramjee said a study to assess the acceptability of the latex diaphragm had been done in Zimbabwe and women were found to be enthusiastic about the product.
But Ramjee added that while studies have been done to test the latex diaphragm as a contraceptive, no studies have been done to test it as a prevention method for HIV/Aids.
"Current research suggests that the port of entry for HIV is through the woman's cervix. We feel that if we cover the cervix with a diaphragm, then perhaps we can reduce the risk of women acquiring HIV," she said.
The study, which will take four years to complete, will start in September and will involve 4 500 women from Southern Africa, including 1 400 from KwaZulu-Natal.
Ramjee said the cost of the study in South Africa would amount to R60-million.
She said women would initially be taught how to insert the diaphragm and would then return to the site every three months to be tested for HIV/Aids and other sexually transmitted infections.
She said while diaphragms had been around for a number of years, they were not widely used in South Africa because they were expensive and not many women were familiar with the device.
"If the product shows effectiveness, we hope that it can be marketed at a reduced cost or offered absolutely free of charge," she said.
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