The University of the Witwatersrand Perinatal HIV Research Unit based at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto has been bowled over by the IT industry`s response to its call for sponsors earlier this week. Within hours of the appeal being published on ITWeb, the first offers of assistance arrived.
The unit appealed for sponsors to provide Web communications to enable it to function more effectively and speed up work on an HIV vaccine. The unit, staffed by 90 people, will soon be treating up to 24 000 HIV-positive mothers and babies, as well as carrying out HIV/AIDS research and working on the development of an HIV vaccine. The unit`s work requires instant communications and easy access to international research and information.
Rao Parathnandh, IT manager for the unit, called for local IT companies to sponsor a Web site and electronic communications, to replace the current dialup accounts used by the researchers. "The most pressing reason for needing e-mail is to improve communications between researchers as they work on developing an HIV vaccine," says Parathnandh. An HIV vaccine is expected before the end of this year, with trials of the vaccine scheduled to start early next year.
Parathnandh reports that he is thrilled by the response from local IT firms - ranging from companies that could assist with Internet access, to one that supplies specialised medical software. Meetings with potential sponsors are scheduled to begin next week.
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