HIV & AIDS: Scientists Pleased With New HIV Vaccine Human Tests.

 HIV & AIDS: Scientists Pleased With New HIV Vaccine Human Tests.

Researchers advice cautious optimism as experimental treatment goes on to next level of testing. After a trial HIV vaccine showed promising results in tests on humans, Scientists are cautious optimistic. A recent study published in medical journal The Lancet examined the effects of the vaccine on test subject numbering 393 that were chosen from East Africa, South Africa, Thailand and the US from 12 HIV clinics. One group was given a placebo while Seven groups were administered different combinations of the vaccine.

The subjects all responded by producing some kind of immunity against HIV in the course of the test. A study carried out on the side by researchers, rhesus monkeys were tested with strains of the vaccine for resistance test against the simian-human immunodeficiency virus, a disease that affects monkeys and is similar to HIV.

The most effective of the vaccine combination protected 67 per cent of the monkeys that were tried as that gave a positive result a second testing is now being conducted on a group of 2,600 women in sub-Saharan Africa. A principal investigator and professor at harvard medical school Dr Dan H Barouch, said he was pleased with the research but advised that the results should be treated with care. As he told CNN, “I would say that we are pleased with these data so far, but we have to interpret the data cautiously”. He also added “We have to acknowledge that developing an HIV vaccine is an unprecedented challenge, and we will not know for sure whether this vaccine will protect humans.” 

About 37 million people are said to be living with either HIV or Aids worldwide , out of which more than two million are children. As reported by UNAIDS , an estimated 1.8 million people worldwide contact the virus each meaning about meaning about 5,000 new cases every day. Even though treatment for the virus have been greatly improved since the early 1980s when the disease was officially identified a vaccine has eluded humans. A drug pre-exposure prophylaxis, could prevent HIV transfer sexually , experts suggests it could prevent one in four cases but the drug must be taken on a regular basis, unlike a vaccine, to prevent the user from contracting the virus.