Professor Françoise Barré-Sinoussi, Virologist, Noble Prize Winner in Medicine.

How far has research gone with the anti retroviral treatment of HIV/AIDS concerning mother to child transmission?

Science has brought all the evidences. That is if you use anti retroviral treatment to prevent mother to child transmission both during the pregnancy and particularly during the late stage of pregnancy and delivery, plus if you use anti retroviral treatment during the breastfeeding period or if you treat the infant during the breast feeding period at least six months of breastfeeding then the infant will not be infected. It is 100 percent clear. Indeed we should not anymore speak today about prevention of mother to child transmission. Because if all the women in the world have access to anti retroviral treatment, if they have CD 4 cells around 500, if they become pregnant, they are treated, they would not transmit the virus to their babies. We have less than 0.3 percent of cases of mother to child transmission. So we know that treatment is prevention and this is clear. So today, it is not a scientific question anymore. It is a question of implementation. 

How is the newly inaugurated virology centre going to help research for HIV/AIDS?

It is not a new one. It is a renovation. The Centre Pasteur has implemented technology for early diagnosis of HIV infected infants and implemented a monitoring of HIV infection for viral load, CD 4 cell count, drug resistance in mothers and in infants. So, all the technologies are available here at the Centre Pasteur. But the building where they were making diagnosis monitoring diagnosis was in a very bad condition, not the best optimal conditions for the best diagnosis and monitoring. So with the support of the Total foundation, the oil company, we have been able to make a renovation with different rules as it is necessary for molecular diagnosis in order to avoid any contamination. What I am saying for HIV is true also for Hepatitis because the Centre Pasteur is also doing the same for Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. It is also for other viral diseases

Is there any hope for a vaccine for HIV/AIDS or any other infectious diseases?

It is a complicated question. I am not going to tell you and date. What I can say is that we have learnt a lot from the failures in the results of the HIV vaccine. I think more than 180 vaccine trials that have been made for HIV vaccine in the world. But only three efficacy trials have been done. Two thirds were not successful and were failures and after the second one called the Stev and Billy trail it has really been a move in the scientific community. We are learning more and more that the immunity is impacting the specific immunity which is the one which to be considered for vaccine. To say that we have a vaccine we need to have a vaccine that protects at least 60 persons or even more.