SFU scientists to track HIV numbers in Africa

A team of scientists from Simon Fraser University is heading to South Africa to try and figure out why so many young people are HIV positive.  It's believed half of all new infections are in people between the ages of 15 and 24.

Health Sciences Associate Professor Mark Brockman says the idea is to get experts with different areas of expertise to tackle the problem from different perspectives. Five years from now when the research is done, he hopes there will be a better understanding of what's causing the problem and what can be done to fix it.

"We're looking for biological clues that may be important for explaining why the HIV epidemic is so expansive and so devastating in southern Africa."

"We're pushing the same issue from different aspects and asking slightly different questions, but I think we can learn from each other.  So, we're hoping this can be become a platform to continue this type of research going forward," he adds.

Brockman's team will be working in Soweto and Durban and they'll be collaborating with other scientists from around the world.