In a clinical trial sponsored by the Surgeon General of the U.S. Army, an HIV vaccine is showing promise in its Phase 3 trials. The trial consisted of about 16,402 people, ranging between the ages of 18 and 30, who had various risks of contracting HIV. The drug consisted of a vaccine followed by a booster dose. Dividing the test subjects, half were given a placebo while the other half received the drug. Each group was administered their designated vaccine the 1st, 3rd, and 6th months of the trial as well as at the enrollment. The booster shot was then given to the patients at the 3rd and 6th month. Afterwards, the patients were tested for HIV every six months for three years.
At the end of the trial, the results showed that the participants that were administered the actual vaccine had only 51 out of the 8, 197 contract HIV. That is a 0.006 percentage rate of infection. The placebo results showed 74 infections out of 8, 198 participants; increasing the rate of infection to 0.009 percent. These results are very promising but would a vaccine promote activity that puts a person at risk for HIV? And since HIV is a virus, will our progress be able to keep up with its mutation?
To view the article, follow the link: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/709462
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Interesting discovery. It is promising but I also wonder if it will just promote activity like the article suggests and doing so open people up to other viruses.
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