South African Professors Scoop Global Public Health Award for HIV Research

• Two SA scientists, a husband and wife pair, have been recognised for their groundbreaking research in HIV
• Professors Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim received the 2024 Lasker–Bloomberg Public Service Award
• The science couple's work has transformed SA's public health and influenced worldwide AIDS initiatives

DURBAN — Local scientists are flying the South African flag high globally, proving the country's propensity to produce A1-rated scientists.

Thus, two leading authorities, Prof Salim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim, have brought home another large feather in the cap for their earth-shattering work.

SA professors scoop global award

The pair received the 2024 Lasker–Bloomberg Public Service Award (formerly Mary Woodard Lasker Public Service Award) earlier this week.

It recognises individuals or organisations whose public service has impacted, widened and enhanced medical research and the health sciences.

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Prof Salim is a public health physician, epidemiologist, and virologist whose research interests span HIV treatment and prevention.

Prof Quarraisha is an infectious diseases epidemiologist and the co-founder and associate scientific director of the Centre for Aids Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA), headquartered in Durban.

She holds a Professorship in Clinical Epidemiology at Columbia University in New York, US, while serving as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for African Health at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).

Together, their efforts have transformed South Africa's public health landscape, transcending its borders to influence AIDS programmes and public health policies elsewhere on the continent and the globe.

Notable recognition is welcome

Accepting the award, Salim Abdool Karim acknowledged the power of global solidarity for global impact.

"While we provided the initial evidence that antiretrovirals, namely preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP), prevents HIV sexual transmission, it is used in over 100 countries," he said.

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"If an HIV and tuberculosis co-infection patient anywhere in the world is treated according to WHO [World Health Organisation] or CDC [Centre for Disease Control] guidelines, it is based on research conducted by a multi-country CAPRISA South African team."

Source: Briefly News