Microbicides for HIV Prevention

Recently the international Microbicides 2008 Conference was held at New Delhi, India in February. The Conference saw a huge response from all over the globe by different kinds of women and men who were working for or interested in the issue of Microbicides.
So what are microbicides and why the whole fuss about it? The word "microbicides" refers to a range of different products that share one common characteristic: the ability to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) when applied topically. A microbicide could be produced in many forms, including gels, creams, suppositories, films, or as a sponge or ring that releases the active ingredient over time.
Clearly it is a revolution in reproductive health since the contraceptive pill. Research is still ongoing for finding the perfect microbicide that works for everybody and is safe and effective at the same time.

What makes microbicides unique is the power that they confer on women who can use them on their own without the consent or even knowledge of their partner. This is a major breakthrough that can stall the trend of rapid feminisation of the AIDS epidemic that we are currently witnessing. Despite the numerous efforts for HIV prevention the fact remains that skewed gender relations and lack of women’s empowerment have rendered most of the prevention techniques less effective. Rather, their effectiveness remains hugely dependent on the crucial role men play. It is well known that gender and sexual violence are directly related to HIV prevalence. Microbicide could be just the thing we need in order to tackle this issue of sexual violence and HIV prevention. This is not to deny the importance or effectiveness of condoms but as they say, any technology is as good as its use. So in situations where condom use cannot be negotiated, microbicides can be an effective option.

Without sounding too ambitious, we can actually hope to have a range of microbicide products that serve varied purposes. Such as a microbicide that prevents HIV as well as unwanted pregnancy, and for those who want to have children there can be a microbicide that only focuses on HIV and STI prevention. There are also other issues that need to be taken care of, such as basic product features including colour, smell, and ease of application which can ultimately decide how popular it will get amongst all kinds of women. Like all health technologies simplicity would be an important albeit difficult aim to achieve, but something that will make a seemingly complex technology like ‘microbicides’ a household name. And herein lies the real challenge because as said by Charles Mingus - "Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity."

For more info on Microbicides visit:
http://www.global-campaign.org/about.htm (Global Campaign for Microbicides)