South Africa’s health products regulator said on Monday it would not approve Russia’s coronavirus vaccine Sputnik V because it could increase the risk of HIV infection in men. This decision is based on earlier studies. The study tested the safety of a modified form of adenovirus, a type of virus. It is believed to cause respiratory infection and is known as Ad5 which is contained in the Russian jab.
The South African Health Products Regulatory Authority said in a statement, “The use of Sputnik V in South Africa may result in high HIV prevalence and an increased risk of HIV in vaccinated men. The company did not have evidence that it would provide protection in a setting of high HIV prevalence.”
At the same time, Russia’s Gamleya Center, which developed Sputnik V, has described these concerns as completely baseless and said that it will provide enough data in this regard. “Speculations about the association between adenovirus type-5 vector vaccines and HIV transmission in high-risk groups are based on small-scale studies,” the Gamlaya Center said.
Let us tell you that South Africa is badly affected by the corona epidemic, while the number of people suffering from HIV here is the highest in the world. Of the 40 million earmarked for vaccination by early 2022, just over a quarter have been fully vaccinated so far.