Breakthrough

University in the USA, has concluded that zinc supplementation in HIV-1 infected children reduces the incidence of diarrhoea and pneumonia. The study was undertaken on 96 children at Greys Hospital in Pietermaritzburg, and led by Principal Investigator, Professor Raziya Bobat, of the Medical School. The research team included Professor H Coovadia (Victor Daitz Chair in HIV Re-search), Dr William Moss and Professor Robert Black of John Hopkins University.

Zinc is an essential trace element important for growth, development and immunity and its deficiency is associated with impaired immune function and an increased risk of infection. The scientists concluded that zinc supplementation could be used as adjunct therapy for children with HIV-1 infection. ?“Although children with HIV-1 infection are expected to benefit from zinc supplementation, the virological and immunological consequences of zinc for replication of the virus required careful assessment?”, said Professor Bobat.

Professor Bobat is an Associate Professor in the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, and is the first woman to be elected as President of the South African Paediatric Association. She is the Principal Investigator of the NIH funded Paediatrics Aids Clinical Trials Group Research Unit, which she was responsible for estab-lishing at the Medical School in 2005.