- Why do I need to know about HIV vaccine research?
As a prevention worker, you are in contact with different segments of the community
and many people will turn to you for all types of information about HIV. Therefore,
it is important for you to be able to answer questions concerning HIV vaccines,
microbicides, and other areas of HIV prevention research, in addition to providing
information about HIV testing and risk reduction. Also, some of the people you are
in contact with may be enrolled in an HIV vaccine trial and it is important for
you to know how it can affect them and their seropositive status.
- How does HIV vaccine research affect HIV prevention activities?
An HIV vaccine that is simple to administer, inexpensive, and effective would be
the most optimal prevention strategy. However, even when an HIV vaccine becomes
widely available, a combination of preventive approaches will likely be required
to protect individuals and the public against HIV infection, and control the global
AIDS epidemic. Such approaches include:
- Prevention strategies directed at individuals or communities for reducing risk of
HIV transmission associated with sexual activity and/or with injection drug use
- Microbicides for vaginal or rectal use
- Antiretroviral therapy to care for those already infected and to reduce the infectiousness
of HIV-infected persons
- Treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) that are cofactors for HIV transmission
- Prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child transmission
- A safe and effective HIV vaccine
In this context, HIV vaccines can be viewed as an integral component of a comprehensive
HIV prevention strategy.
- What are the basic facts about HIV vaccines?
There are several important things you need to know about HIV vaccines.
- HIV vaccines being tested in humans do not contain HIV and cannot cause HIV.
- If HIV vaccine trial participants engage in behaviors that expose them to HIV,
they may become infected with HIV. In your capacity as a prevention worker,
it is important for you to continue to stress the importance of comprehensive risk-reduction
strategies that will reduce the risk of HIV infection, just as you would with others
in the community.
- At present, there is not an HIV vaccine. Contrary to what some people in
the community may think, an HIV vaccine is not currently available. Research is
underway to find a safe and effective vaccine that will protect people from being
infected with HIV, but it will continue to take more time until a promising vaccine
is discovered.
- How does an HIV vaccine affect someone's seropositive status?
Some HIV vaccines stimulate the production of antibodies against multiple HIV proteins.
Since standard HIV tests (e.g., ELISA) detect antibodies in blood directed against
certain HIV proteins, a person who is receiving an HIV vaccine could test positive
for HIV. The HIV vaccines being tested do not contain HIV and, therefore, cannot
cause HIV infection. Other tests are available to determine if an HIV vaccine trial
volunteer is actually infected with HIV as a result of his or her own behavior-related
to exposure to HIV.
- How will I know if someone is an HIV vaccine trial participant?
Prior to testing, it would be a good idea for you to ask if the individual is participating
or has participated in an HIV vaccine trial. If the answer is yes, you should refer
them back to their research site for HIV counseling and testing. Staff at the site
will be able to provide testing that can differentiate between a volunteer actually
being infected as a result of his or her own behavior and a positive result induced
by the vaccine. If the volunteer knows they received placebo, or otherwise does
not have circulating antibodies from the vaccine and their follow-up in the trial
has been terminated, testing can proceed as usual.
- Should I refuse to provide HIV testing to an HIV vaccine trial participant?
If an HIV vaccine trial volunteer wants to be tested at your site rather than return
to his/her research site for testing, you should make note that this individual
is participating in an HIV vaccine study on the laboratory form. You should also
request that, if the ELISA and Western Blot tests are positive, that a PCR (polymerase
chain reaction) test be conducted to determine whether the volunteer is actually
infected with HIV as a result of his or her own behavior-related exposure to HIV.
- What if an HIV vaccine trial volunteer still wants to be tested at my clinic/health
center?
If an HIV vaccine trial volunteer wants to be tested at your site rather than return
to his/her research site for testing, you should make note that this individual
is participating in an HIV vaccine study on the laboratory form. You should also
request that, if the ELISA and Western Blot tests are positive, that a PCR test
be conducted in order to determine whether the volunteer is actually infected with
HIV as a result of his or her own behavior-related exposure to HIV.
- Where can I go for more information?
For general information about HIV vaccines as well as a comprehensive database that
can be searched for HIV vaccine trials by location or product, you can visit AIDSinfo.
Information published courtesy of NIAID
This article was last modified in: 06/18/2012