As the HIV/AIDS pandemic continues to wreck havoc on the human population scientists are carrying out research projects into finding a cure or prevent the period in which HIV matures to full blown AIDS.

Trials are currently in Botswana, Thailand, Peru, Ecuador and the United States. These researches involve heterosexual men and women as well as homosexuals. Zimbabwe at the moment is offering PrEP after one has been exposed to infection. Hope for an effective prevention method that women, in particular, can control was dampened when news regarding the failure of a once promising microbicide was presented by the scientists. Data from two studies showed that Ushercell, a microbicide containing 6% cellulose sulphate, did not protect women against sexually transmitted HIV infection and suggested that it may have even contributed to an increased risk of HIV acquisition. Microbicides are anti-HIV substances in the form of creams or gels that can be applied to the vaginal or rectal areas in an effort to prevent HIV infection. There are currently no microbicides approved for use, however, there are a number of them being studied in clinical trials. A large-scale phase 3 study of the microbicide that was being conducted in Benin, South Africa, Uganda, and India was stopped in January 2007, however, when an interim analysis revealed that more women who were actually using the gel had become infected than those using a placebo gel.

Finally data presented from a 30-month randomized study conducted in Tanzania by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine showed that treatment with acyclovir, a medication used to treat HSV-2 (also known as genital herpes) infection, does not protect women against HIV. These findings came as a shock to many including the researchers themselves considering that the relationship between HSV-2 infection and the risk of acquiring HIV has been well established. In fact, a recent study found that HSV-2 infection increased the risk of HIV acquisition by three-fold.

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