South Africa stops funding for AIDS vaccine research

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) - The leading scientist of the first AIDS vaccine created in a developing country says South Africa's government has stopped funding vaccine research. Professor Anna-Lise Williamson tells The Associated Press that South Africa's Department of Science and Technology has decided not to fund the research any more even though a clinical vaccine trial began Monday in Cape Town. The utility Eskom also ended its contract for funding. Williamson says "for vaccine development presently, the South African AIDS Vaccine initiative has no money." Her revelation comes as a new report says HIV vaccine research funding decreased for the first time since 2000, with investments of almost $1.2 billion in 2008, down 10 percent from 2007. On the Web: <a href="http://www.saavi.org.za" target="_blank">http://www.saavi.org.za</a> , the South African AIDS Vaccine Initiative <a href="http://www.hivresourcetracking.org" target="_blank">www.hivresourcetracking.org</a> (Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)