A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection

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A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection
By MARILYNN MARCHIONE and MICHAEL CASEY, Associated Press Writers – Thu Sep 24, 3:27 am ET

BANGKOK – For the first time, an experimental vaccine has prevented infection with the AIDS virus, a watershed event in the deadly epidemic and a surprising result. Recent failures led many scientists to think such a vaccine might never be possible.

Article Here:A world first: Vaccine helps prevent HIV infection - Yahoo! News

For those who follow, this is a very encouraging (borderline exciting) report.

Ciao-

T.D.:cool:
 

Pendlum

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I remember reading about a break through a while ago, and I was wondering what became of it. I think it was something along the lines of that they found what part of the virus couldn't change. I wonder if they are related.
 

B_theOtherJJ

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I am just worried that news of this sort (although wonderful) will encourage an increase in UNSAFE sexual practice BEFORE the vaccine is ever perfected ,tested mainstream and released to the public. This can result in an increase in HIV infection before a vaccine is ever released...
 

Gillette

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Fom the article
The vaccine cut the risk of becoming infected with HIV by more than 31 percent in the world's largest AIDS vaccine trial of more than 16,000 volunteers in Thailand, researchers announced Thursday in Bangkok.

~snip~


The study tested the combo in HIV-negative Thai men and women ages 18 to 30 at average risk of becoming infected. Half received four "priming" doses of ALVAC and two "boost" doses of AIDSVAX over six months. The others received dummy shots. No one knew who got what until the study ended.
All were given condoms, counseling and treatment for any sexually transmitted infections, and were tested every six months for HIV. Any who became infected were given free treatment with antiviral medicines. Participants were followed for three years after vaccination ended.

Umm...questions...

Were all of the volunteers equally exposed to HIV+ infection?
Is this even ethical?

What if the difference is due to use vs non use of the condoms?

I'm not seeing adequate variable controls in this study for the results to be considered valid and in order for the controls to be valid you'd have to deliberately infect all the subjects which would be insanely inhumane.


Separate question. Being as HIV is a blood-borne virus is there no way to test vacine efficacy on blood samples? Why is a live subject needed?
 

Bbucko

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Umm...questions...

Were all of the volunteers equally exposed to HIV+ infection?
Is this even ethical?

What if the difference is due to use vs non use of the condoms?

I'm not seeing adequate variable controls in this study for the results to be considered valid and in order for the controls to be valid you'd have to deliberately infect all the subjects which would be insanely inhumane.

I agree completely. The philosophy on the part of those conducting the test would seem to be that the study participants were all "doomed" from the beginning. The only way to test this vaccine is to discourage the use of condoms if not eliminate them all together.

And I don't see how use of a control group would be anything but deeply, unspeakably inhumane.


Separate question. Being as HIV is a blood-borne virus is there no way to test vacine efficacy on blood samples? Why is a live subject needed?

The reason is that there are so many co-factors in the human body that are not found in a petri dish. Nor can computer simulations adequately predict all possible variations: they just aren't advanced enough yet.