USIS Washington File - May 16, 2006
HIV/AIDS activists, volunteers and researchers will be among
those recognizing HIV/AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day May 18, an
occasion that draws attention to the need for a vaccine to
prevent this disease, according to the National Institute for
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National
Institutes of Health.
Significant progress has been made in understanding the virus and
its attack on the immune system in the 25 years since the disease
first was reported, according to a NIAID press release. At least
58 vaccine candidates have been tested in 96 HIV vaccine clinical
trials involving 23,000 volunteers without a breakthrough, but
the search for a serum that will provide immunity to the virus
goes on.
Washington - HIV/AIDS activists, volunteers and researchers will
be among those recognizing HIV/AIDS Vaccine Awareness Day May 18,
an occasion that draws attention to the need for a vaccine to
prevent this disease, according to the National Institute for
Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), one of the National
Institutes of Health.
Significant progress has been made in understanding the virus and
its attack on the immune system in the 25 years since the disease
first was reported, according to a NIAID press release.
At least 58 vaccine candidates have been tested in 96 HIV vaccine
clinical trials involving 23,000 volunteers without a
breakthrough, but the search goes on for a serum that will
provide immunity to the virus.
HIV/AIDS treatments also have been developed that prolong life
and allow persons with AIDS to live productively with the
disease, but still the disease has taken the lives of 25 million
people since its 1981 identification.
The NIAID statement says international collaborative research
projects continue the pursuit of a vaccine. The Global HIV/AIDS
Vaccine Enterprise is working to accelerate the development of a
new HIV vaccine, and the Center for HIV-AIDS Vaccine Immunology
is working on problems in vaccine design and development.
Community organizations have joined the scientists in the effort
to develop and test HIV vaccines.
The May 15 press release says that about 20 community groups
across the United States are educating their communities about
this work, trying to recruit more volunteers and expand support
for the research.
The NIAID statement thanks all the volunteers, scientists and
health professionals engaged in this campaign on HIV/AIDS Vaccine
Awareness Day. It also promotes a theme of "Be the Generation"
to find an HIV vaccine in the ninth annual recognition of the
event.
"With over 40 million people living with HIV worldwide," says the
campaign Web site, "and over 20 million lives already lost, the
need for an HIV vaccine is more urgent than ever."
More information is available on NIAID's HIV Vaccine Awareness
Day Web site and the Web sites of the HIV Vaccine Trials Network
and Be the Generation.