The likelihood of finally finding a cure for HIV is “quite high”, a leading expert told a Dubai health conference on Monday.
Prof Sharon Lewin, director of the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity in Melbourne, said medical advances made in recent years have given her hope that a cure will be found in the near future.
The Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region has recorded the largest increase in HIV cases over the past two decades, with cases up by 31 per cent.
Prof Lewin, speaking on the opening day of Arab Health at the Dubai World Trade Centre, said that while the rise in HIV cases in the region is alarming, the challenge will be to find an affordable cure for everyone.
Following on from the success of the success of the mRNA vaccine, I feel we may be able to look again at finding a vaccine against HIV
Dr Bharat Pankhania,
University of Exeter
“The direction the number of new cases are going in this region is alarming,” she said.
“They are going down in most parts of the world but rising here.
“The chances of finding a cure are quite high, though. The real challenge will be finding a cure that is scalable, cheap and accessible to everyone.”
A report from pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca in December said there were 180,000 people living with HIV/Aids in the Mena region.
HIV, which stands for human immunodeficiency virus, targets the body’s immune system.
If untreated, it can lead to Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids) — a condition that occurs when your immune system has been severely damaged by HIV, leaving you prone to life-threatening opportunistic infections and illnesses.
Access to treatment
Prof Lewin said the reason cases are increasing at such a fast rate is due to a lack of access to treatment.
“It’s down to access to treatment and policies around the criminalisation of activities that put you at risk of HIV,” she said.
“Criminalising those activities makes delivering prevention services very, very difficult.”
While the number of cases is relatively low in the region, the percentage of cases is increasing at levels higher than most other regions, she added.
According to the latest data from the World Health Organisation, there were more than 38 million people living with HIV globally in 2021.
The condition resulted in the deaths of 650,000 people around the world.
Despite the bleak picture those numbers paint, Prof Lewin was confident a cure could be found.
“I think we are going to get there,” she said.
“There’s still a lot of scientific advancement needed and we also need to have a discussion with communities around the globe about what they want from a cure.
“We need to prepare them so there’s no delays when a cure is finally found.”
Advancements in treatment
A patient in the US with leukaemia become the first woman and the third person to date to be cured of HIV after receiving a stem cell transplant from a donor who was naturally resistant to the virus that causes Aids.
Two previous cases received adult stem cells, which are more frequently used in bone marrow transplants. A fourth man was also cured in the US in July after he was given a bone-marrow transplant to treat blood cancer leukaemia from a donor who was also naturally resistant to the virus.
They are the type of advancements in treating HIV that give her confidence that a cure will eventually be found.
“If you look back at the 40 years of HIV then you will see it took around 20 years to find a treatment,” said Professor Lewin.
“Now we’ve got that treatment fine-tuned so let’s hope we can find a cure in the next 20 years.”
Advancements in retroviral medication mean people with HIV can lead long and healthy lives.
It is now widely regarded in most parts of the world as a survivable condition that is treatable with one pill a day.
Prof Lewin said the response to the Covid-19 pandemic has shown the way forward when it comes to finding a cure for HIV.
“It’s very hard to mobilise significant funds right now but we saw what happened with the response to Covid-19,” she said.
“When you’ve got a major problem that the world cares about it is possible to mobilise enough money to get things moving fast.
“HIV is still a significant problem for many, many countries.”
Preventative vaccine
Dr Bharat Pankhania, a senior clinical lecturer and infectious diseases specialist at the University of Exeter in the UK, said finding a cure for HIV would prove difficult because of the way the virus incorporated its genetic material into the DNA of the infected person.
"It would be amazing, absolutely amazing if you could uncouple that incorporated thing from the DNA," he said.
"As an infectious diseases expert, nothing is impossible, but that would be unbelievable if it was possible to see."
He suggested it was more likely that a successful preventative vaccine against HIV infection could be developed, especially given the widespread use of messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines in protecting people from Covid-19.
"Following on from the success of the success of the mRNA vaccine, I feel we may be able to look again at finding a vaccine against HIV," he said.
"From a vaccine point of view in the next 20 years, I'm hopeful we can revisit HIV vaccination and hopefully find a vaccine that works against HIV."
If you go
Flights
Emirates flies from Dubai to Phnom Penh with a stop in Yangon from Dh3,075, and Etihad flies from Abu Dhabi to Phnom Penh with its partner Bangkok Airlines from Dh2,763. These trips take about nine hours each and both include taxes. From there, a road transfer takes at least four hours; airlines including KC Airlines (www.kcairlines.com) offer quick connecting flights from Phnom Penh to Sihanoukville from about $100 (Dh367) return including taxes. Air Asia, Malindo Air and Malaysian Airlines fly direct from Kuala Lumpur to Sihanoukville from $54 each way. Next year, direct flights are due to launch between Bangkok and Sihanoukville, which will cut the journey time by a third.
The stay
Rooms at Alila Villas Koh Russey (www.alilahotels.com/ kohrussey) cost from $385 per night including taxes.
Dubai World Cup factbox
Most wins by a trainer: Godolphin’s Saeed bin Suroor(9)
Most wins by a jockey: Jerry Bailey(4)
Most wins by an owner: Godolphin(9)
Most wins by a horse: Godolphin’s Thunder Snow(2)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
'Panga'
Directed by Ashwiny Iyer Tiwari
Starring Kangana Ranaut, Richa Chadha, Jassie Gill, Yagya Bhasin, Neena Gupta
Rating: 3.5/5
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors
Power: 480kW
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)
On sale: Now
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
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Four tips to secure IoT networks
Mohammed Abukhater, vice president at FireEye in the Middle East, said:
- Keep device software up-to-date. Most come with basic operating system, so users should ensure that they always have the latest version
- Besides a strong password, use two-step authentication. There should be a second log-in step like adding a code sent to your mobile number
- Usually smart devices come with many unnecessary features. Users should lock those features that are not required or used frequently
- Always create a different guest network for visitors
