FOR WOMEN ONLY….

As soon as I landed in Cape Town, I headed straight for wine country….but there would be no leisurely tastings on this day. The focus of my trip was to visit the offices of the International Partnerships for Microbicides (IPM) in Paarl. The town rests in a sunken valley surrounded by vineyards and jagged mountains, located about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town. It was there that I met Maryam Sadat, a longtime Montgomery County resident who serves as site manager for IPM’s programs. The non-profit agency is involved in the research and development of microbicides, an odorless gel, foam or cream-based product that can be applied to the vaginal area to inhibit the transmission of the HIV virus.

Microbicides have become the latest “buzz” in AIDS research because of their practicality and user-friendly potential for female consumers. But they have also generated controversy. Earlier this year, a trial conducted by Arlington-based CONRAD was halted after several participants contracted the HIV virus during its study. The South African government has also launched an investigation into some of the trials. But Sadat upholds the drug as one that could revolutionize prevention strategies for women.

“This tool that we are using is to empower women,” Sadat explained. “The women here can’t necessarily say [to a man] I want you to use a condom, I want to be monogamous or I don’t want to have sex. So with this… the women are empowered to use it [as protection].”

Babalwa Mgedezi understands the risk. Standing tall in a flowing white dress with immaculate cornrows, she told me that she recently lost her 19-year-old sister to AIDS. The 30-something mother of two is now a recruiter for IPM’s newest trial at the Be Part Centre in Mbekweni, a township where she lives. The study will determine the HIV prevalence rate there among 18-35 year-old women – the first of many steps required prior to launching a full-scale clinical trial.

“Every one of us in the community may not be infected, but it affects all of us because each of us may have lost a family member, a friend or a neighbor,” said Mgedezi, who noted that she has perceived a significant rise in HIV infections among teenagers in her community. “I will give advice to young women out there for them to abstain, to be faithful and to use condoms because HIV is out there and it is not a joke.”