REVEALED: New vaginal ring developed to protect women against HIV
The contraption releases hormones to prevent the risk of infection
VAGINAL rings have been used as a form of contraception for years, but until now they’ve never been used to protect against STIs.
The luminous circular disk, with a hole in the centre, is placed into the vagina for three weeks.
Once in place, the contraption releases hormones that prevents the risk of infection.
Remarkably, new research by the International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) showed that the vaginal ring drastically cut the chances of contracting a sexually transmitted disease.
Antiretroviral drugs, which is medication prescribed to stop the spread of HIV, is slowly released from the ring to stop the illness from taking hold.
Releasing the data during this week’s AIDS 2016 conference, the IPM claimed that women who used the device monthly were 56 per cent less likely to get HIV.
Experts hope that the vaginal ring could soon be used to prevent the spread of HIV, which is prevalent in many developing countries of the world.
In sub-Saharan Africa, women are the most at risk from HIV, as they make up six out of every 10 cases.
Even though research is still in its infancy, health experts believe the ring has already got a high success rate.
What is HIV?
- According to the NHS, HIV is “a virus that attacks the immune system, and weakens your ability to fight infections and disease.”
- The infection is most commonly spread when victims have sex without a condom
- Other causes of transmission include sharing infected needles or passed on from an HIV-positive mum during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding
- According to the United Nation’s AIDS agency UNAIDS, HIV has infected 36.9 million people globally.
- There is currently no cure for HIV, but medication can alleviate some of the symptoms for victims
The founder of IPM, Dr Zeda Rosenberg, said: “We are encouraged by these new analyses, which further support that the dapivirine ring could be an important option for women who urgently need new tools to protect themselves from HIV…
"While IPM seeks regulatory approval for the ring, we will continue to work to understand how we can best support women to use it consistently, and advance research to expand women's options with additional new methods that make sense for their lives and needs."