R4m boost for Aids vaccine body
Richard Mantu
24 May 2004
Impala Platinum (Implats) and transport parastatal Transnet are to donate R4-million to the South African Aids Vaccine Initiative (SAAVI).
Implats will contribute R2.5-million, with Transnet adding R1.5-million, towards financing the research and development of an HIV/Aids vaccine in the country.
The money will help to finance SAAVI activities ranging from basic laboratory research to conducting ethically sound clinical trials, the human rights aspects of vaccine development, as well as extensive community awareness activities.
In 2001 Implats commissioned a study to measure the impact of HIV/Aids on the company, and discovered that if all the relevant costs were considered, Implats could incur an additional cost of R86-million per year in 2011 due to HIV/Aids.
Halving the rate of new infections would reduce the estimated cost to R46-million, Implats found.
Jon Andrews of Implats said the company already had considerable
success in reducing the rate of new infections among employees through education and treatment programmes run jointly with the trade unions and local communities.
"Although the costs to the company will be considerably lower than the initial estimates suggested, it is clear that businesses in South Africa will also have to invest in initiatives aimed at the development of long-term prevention and control measures", Andrews said.
SAAVI director Tim Tucker welcomed the contribution, saying developing and testing an HIV/Aids vaccine was an expensive, long-term endeavour.
He said SAAVI's current budget was about R70-million per annum, which needed a substantial increase to meet ongoing and future commitments, as well as to conduct multiple clinical trials aimed at isolating approaches likely to be most successful.
SAAVI is a partnership between the government and Eskom.
Transnet chairperson Bongani Khumalo said Aids management strategies, together with
the development of a preventative vaccine, were business imperatives.
"If we are to successfully tackle this epidemic, we need a concerted, national approach that combines prevention and treatment", Khumalo said.
Source: BuaNews
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