A South African researcher couple of Indian descent has received a prominent lifetime achievement award in recognition of their exceptional contributions in the field of HIV/AIDS.
Professor Quarraisha Abdool Karim and her husband Prof. Salim Abdool Karim- both Renowned Infectious Disease Epidemiologists were felicitated by the Institute of Human Virology (IHV) in Baltimore in the US during the 19th annual international meeting of top medical virus researchers.
The couple received the 2017 IHV Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service from Robert Gallo who discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS.
“To me, both of these renowned individuals have made some of the greatest contributions in the history of HIV/AIDS in public health and epidemiology relevant to prevention and care of infected people,” said Dr. Gallo.
“I don’t know any person or persons who have done more to advance the proper care of people with HIV infection or the prevention of HIV infection among a population.”
Prof. Quarraisha Abdool Karim, is the Associate Scientific Director at the Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa and an Adjunct Professor in Public Health at the Nelson Mandela School of Medicine, University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Prof Salim Abdool Karim is the Director of the Global Health Department of Epidemiology, Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa and also the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
"We accept the award not just on our own behalf, but in recognition of the resilience and contributions of the thousands of South Africans, who have been central, as participants in the research, to the ongoing effort to develop better and more effective HIV prevention and treatment strategies," Salim Abdool Karim said.
Quarraisha, one of the most highly-respected infectious disease epidemiologists in South Africa, said she "deeply appreciated" the award from a centre of excellence in HIV research like the IHV.
The researchers, who are currently involved in the development of innovative ways of preventing HIV in women, were the first to establish that antiretrovirals could prevent sexual transmission of HIV, news agency PTI reported.
The couple’s landmark study in 2010 was recognised as one of the top 10 scientific breakthroughs of the year.
The couple discovered that the Tenofovir Gel prevents Genital Herpes. It was the first drug proven to be effective against this disease.
