Are we getting close to finding a vaccine for AIDS?

Are we getting close to finding a vaccine for AIDS?

Yes, however, even with extensive prevention efforts from multiple government and private agencies, HIV is still spreading worldwide.

In an attempt to develop a vaccine against HIV, which could protect against infection and disease, an AIDS vaccine, called AIDSvax, was tested in several countries, including the US. The vaccine composition tested varies from country to country, because different strains of HIV are found in Asia than in North America, for example. Designed to stimulate the body to produce antibodies to certain types of HIV, results from the first large-scale clinical trials of an AIDS vaccine show the inoculation is largely ineffective in protecting people from the AIDS-causing HIV virus.

But the research does offer some hope. The shot did appear to significantly lower the infection rate among African-Americans and other non-Hispanic minorities, according to the company that produces the AIDSvax vaccine.

Researchers "while conceding that minorities made up a rather small number of the clinical trial participants," say they are at a loss to explain the apparent differences in responses among racial and ethnic groups. Always consult your physician for more information.