Globally, around 40 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, including 7.8 million in South Africa (SA), which has the largest antiretroviral treatment program in the world.

Speaking at a World AIDS Day event in SA's KwaZulu-Natal province, CAPRISA Director Professor Salim Abdool Karim outlined ongoing strategies to combat the virus.

“I think a vaccine is still too far away; there are many interesting new approaches, especially new approaches but I think that’s still a long road before we see a vaccine. I’m more optimistic that we may see a cure within the next 5 to 10 years. There are efforts using antibodies with antiretrovirals, so I’m a bit more optimistic that a cure may become available,” Karim said.

--SABC--