As part of the IPM Ring study, the Ndlovu Research team and the participants in the study have come up with something very special this year. They are combining Mother’s Day with Freedom Day and simply bringing their mother, grandmother or aunt to the meeting. They talk about the study and share their individual life stories, and the participants are informed about the follow-up IPM Dream Study that is coming. Once again, participants are asked to use the ring regularly.
The willingness of the community to support this study is extremely high. This was also demonstrated in recent weeks when the first Imbizo (zulu for gathering) of the men took place in the Miracle Theater. As a forum for male gathering, an Imbizo has great significance for the members of the community. The fact that men support their wives in the areas of contraception and HIV prevention is not a matter of course here. For this reason, the Ndlovu Research team is proud of the active participation of the men. The years of educational work by Hugo Tempelman and his team are paying off here, having brought about a change in thinking in this area.
135 to 150 men took part in the discussion. The topics of the dialog were not only the sum of the results, but also how female participants in the study can be supported by their husbands or boyfriends.
The Imbizo (meeting) is also used to discuss other topics. Among other things, the cohort study was presented to the participants. Last year’s sporting activities were also reviewed: last year’s soccer tournament, the fun walk and the pool and volleyball tournaments. The plans for a soccer tournament in the coming months and the teams from the Imbizo were discussed.
The Imbizo ended with a great performance by the NDLOVU Youth Choir.
After the results of the study were officially announced in Boston in February of this year and honored with a standing ovation, the project is far from over. Women’s Day in March was duly celebrated by the participants in the study. Now that the effectiveness of the drug has been statistically recorded and proven, all participants will receive an active ring at their next visit. The study included a control group that received placebos. Neither the participants nor the care staff knew who was wearing an active ring and who was receiving a placebo.
The study showed that the ring reliably protects against HIV infection in one in three women. It was also found that the age of the wearer was of significant importance. The ring is effective in women over 21, whereas it has almost no effect in participants aged 18-21. Although it is not yet clear what causes this difference, it is assumed that women of an older age use the ring more consistently and reliably.
We will continue to follow this exciting topic and report further.
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