Top South African HIV Scientist Dies From Coronavirus

South African HIV scientist Gita Ramjee has died from COVID-19-related complications. After the HIV researcher returned to South Africa from a symposium at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, she fell ill and a few days after she lost the fight for her life.

Tributes are being paid to the scientist by fellow colleagues.

“She dedicated many years of her life to finding HIV prevention solutions for women," her colleague and friend Gavin Churchyard told the ‘BBC’.

“The passing of Prof Ramjee comes as a huge blow to the entirety of the healthcare sector and the global fight against HIV/Aids,” South Africa’s Deputy President David Mabuza said in a statement.

“In her, we have indeed lost a champion in the fight against the HIV epidemic, ironically at the hands of this global pandemic. In her honour, we should heed the call to flatten the curve by strengthening our responses to this global pandemic as well as continue the fight to achieve zero new HIV infections.”

Head of the Aurum Institute Prof Churchyard, who knew Prof Ramjee for many years, told the ‘BBC’ that “Gita was a vibrant person, a real fighter. If she sets her mind on something, nobody better stand in her way. That will be my lasting memory of her - how she fought with everything to advance access to healthcare for women in disadvantaged communities.”

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