AIDS Vaccine Trials

Two large Acquired ImmunoDeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) vaccine trials will begin within the next few weeks. The countries of Thailand and Uganda have permitted researchers to immunize people to see if their vaccines have any hope of preventing AIDS. Two different vaccines are being tested.

One of the vaccines is being tested in Uganda. This vaccine trial is basically a safety trial. If the vaccine is given to a large number of people the researchers want to know if the vaccine will cause any dangerous side-effects. The vaccine (AIDSVAX) that will be used in Thailand has already been shown to be safe for use in humans. This Thailand study is an actual test to see how effective their vaccine is. They are going to immunize 2,500 intravenous drug abusers in Thailand. About 5 percent of intravenous drug abusers in Thailand will acquire the Human Immunodeficiency (HIV) virus and eventually come down with AIDS. They hope to show that fewer people will become infected with the HIV virus and that those same people will not develop AIDS.

The Thailand study will take 5-10 years to complete. That is because it will take several years of following the immunized people to see if they become infected. It will then take several years of following those that are infected to see if they develop the signs and symptoms of AIDS. They then must compare the immunized infection rates with unimmunized control populations to see if the vaccine protects people from getting AIDS.

Power Point*. Just because a person is infected with the HIV virus does not mean they have AIDS. AIDS is a very well defined set of signs and symptoms that a person infected with the HIV virus will in time manifest. It takes several years for an adult infected with the HIV virus to come down with AIDS. The average time for HIV infected people in the United States to develop AIDS is about 7-10 years. After a person comes down with AIDS they usually live from 3-5 years. The hopeful thing about the new treatments for HIV infected people is that they are living longer before coming down with AIDS.

Knowledge is Power. For more power go to the following sites:
CNN news story on AIDS trials
To find out what is in the vaccine they are using in Thailand go here.
To find out more about the Ugandan story go here.
These trials have some ethical challenges. To see what others think go here.
Find out how to reduce your chances of being infected: Counseling to Prevent HIV Infection and Other Sexually.
Transmitted Diseases from the National Institute of Health (United States).

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