Each year in Tanzania, 51 of every 100,000 women die from cervical cancer. With limited access to cervical cancer screenings and treatment services, only around 20% of those with the disease will survive after 5 years of diagnosis. Women living with HIV are at a higher risk of getting the disease. They are also at a higher risk of the disease progressing to a more severe form as well as death. Fortunately, with regular cervical screenings, early changes can be treated.
Thousands of voices joined together in song as MHRP partners in Mbeya City, Tanzania, hosted the first ever DREAMS program graduation, where 1,804 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) celebrated their completion of the core DREAMS training.
The DREAMS initiative is funded by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and implemented through the Henry Jackson Foundation Military Research International (HJFMRI) and local partners in Africa. DREAMS aims to help young women become Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored and Safe through education, vocational training and other evidence-based interventions.
In a new preclinical study conducted by MHRP, an HIV vaccine formulated with a novel adjuvant called AFLA developed at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research elicited stronger immune responses than a vaccine with a more commonly used alum adjuvant. Findings from the study were published in PLOS Pathogens.
We are pleased to announce that LTC(P) Julie Ake has been selected as the next Director of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program (MHRP), effective June 30. LTC(P) Ake has been with MHRP at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research since 2010 and has served as the Principal Deputy Director for MHRP the last three years. Most recently, she has also been serving as WRAIR’s Deputy Principal for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) program.
MHRP scientists are supporting coronavirus vaccine and therapeutics development efforts led by the Emerging Infectious Diseases Branch (EIDB) at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) to advance tools to address the COVID-19 pandemic and counter future coronavirus threats.
