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Press Releases
Secure The
Futuretm Provides Grant For Epidemiological Research At Correctional
Services Institutions
Friday, 30 August 2002
The Uphando Research Unit in George and the University of Stellenbosch are to benefit from a research grant totalling R 4.7 million. The grant, handed over at a function at the Uphando Research Unit, forms part of the Secure The Future TM programme - a Bristol-Myers Squibbs US$115-million commitment towards finding innovative, replicable and sustainable solutions that will address HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
The grant will fund a study to establish the prevalence of communicable diseases such as HIV, TB, STD, Hepatitis and substance abuse among women, children and juveniles in Correctional Service Institutions within the Western Cape. The research, to be undertaken as a joint initiative between the University of Stellenbosch, Uphando Research Unit and the Department of Correctional Services, will also seek to investigate the modes of transmission of these diseases within CSIs using epidemiological and laboratory support to confirm these findings.
Dr Shaheen Mehtar, principal investigator for the programme said: "Globally, prisons are a reservoir for the spread of communicable diseases such as HIV, TB, Hepatitis and STDs. Women, children and juveniles are particularly vulnerable to such diseases. The study will be invaluable in helping to identify the risk factors prevalent in CSIs and hence assist policymakers in making evidence-based recommendations."
"Allocating medical grants to support innovative epidemiological research substantially increases South Africas capacity to manage the debilitating epidemic," said Ms Beryl Canham, Project Manager for Secure The Futures HIV Research Institute. According to Ms Canham, capacity building and good clinical practice are critical to producing conclusive and insightful research.
The CSI project in George is a collaborative effort of investigators from the University of Stellenbosch, Medunsa and Uphando Research Unit as well as participants from Howard University in the United States.
"A research project of this nature is the first of its kind, assessing communicable diseases in women, children and juveniles in a CSI setting. It is another step closer towards improving the overall understanding and treatment of HIV/AIDS within South Africa", concluded Canham.
Secure The Future TM programme has to date invested more than R25-million in HIV/AIDS related research projects in the Western Cape
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