Azra Hoosen | ah@radioislam.co.za
7 October 2024 | 14:30 CAT
3 min read

Professors Quarraisha and Salim Abdool Karim, renowned HIV researchers from Durban, have been awarded the prestigious 2024 Lasker-Bloomberg Public Service Award for their ground-breaking work in HIV prevention and treatment. The couple received the award, which includes a $250,000 honorarium, at a ceremony in New York City on Friday.

Their research has played a pivotal role in understanding heterosexual HIV transmission and developing life-saving interventions, including the introduction of Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for HIV prevention.

Speaking to Radio Islam, Professor Salim Abdool Karim emphasised their lifelong commitment to developing innovative strategies and technologies aimed at empowering young women, particularly in Africa, to protect themselves against HIV. Over the past 35 years, their work has focused on safeguarding the lives of one of the most vulnerable groups—young women affected by the HIV epidemic.

He stressed that their work was never motivated by the pursuit of accolades. “But in the course of achieving that goal, we have undertaken research that led to many new discoveries and important findings, and we are being recognised for that. The Lasker-Bloomberg prize is one of the most prestigious prizes that we would qualify for; we were actually surprised that we were even considered for the prize. To receive it, for us, is a major achievement because it is a prize recognising the importance of science, of undertaking research in Africa and in South Africa, showing we can do good science,” he said.

He emphasised the need for better preparedness in facing future health challenges, noting that Covid-19 served as a global wake-up call, reminding us that “we are one humanity, one people sharing one earth,” and we are bound by our shared responsibility to each other. “We are interdependent, and we need to work closely with each other, so when we look at a disease like an infectious disease, we understand that what I do affects everyone else and we must work for the collective benefit,” he added.

The Lasker Foundation highlighted the Abdool Karims’ research on HIV’s disproportionate impact on women and girls, as well as their efforts in reducing deaths from HIV and tuberculosis co-infections in South Africa by over 50%.

Abdool Karim reflected on the early days when they first began; there was an overwhelming fear surrounding HIV. People were terrified, and it was heavily stigmatised. Those infected were often too afraid to reveal their status, but this has lessened significantly over time. However, he pointed out that they still witness significant levels of stigma, especially towards women. Due to the high infection rates among young women, they are often unfairly blamed when diagnosed. This remains a major societal challenge.

“There is no creating a ‘them-and-us’ situation; it just enables the virus to spread even more. The virus wins in this case. There is no need to get overly concerned or treat anyone with HIV any differently than we would otherwise. That message has largely come home, but we need to continually hammer it home so people with HIV don’t have to fear when they discover they have this infection,” he said.

Abdool Karim expressed optimism about the future of public health in South Africa and globally. “I have great hopes, I travel around the world and look at how the world is finding solutions one problem at a time, I remain hopeful for us as a community and as humanity. I despair when I see the conflicts and wars, particularly the situation in the Middle East; I hope when we reflect on all of these challenges, we understand we can fix them, and as we address public health issues and new challenges in medicine, we can fix it with science,” he said.

The Abdool Karims, through their work with CAPRISA, have also trained over 600 HIV and TB investigators, contributing to the global fight against these diseases.

The foundation praised the Abdool Karims not only for their scientific contributions but also for their advocacy in public health and their fight against medical disinformation, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.

LISTEN to the full interview with Ml Ibrahim Daya and Professor Salim S. Abdool Karim, South African clinical infectious diseases epidemiologist, here.