HIV Vaccines

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, since Professor Robert Gallo confirmed etiological agents of AIDS in 1984, scientists in the United States, along with many other countries, have been making tremendous strides in the race to develop a vaccine for HIV. The author points out that the problem researchers have been facing is that the HIV virus does not respond to classical vaccination approaches, which have been used for other vaccines including smallpox and polio. The paper relates that, once the vaccine has been developed and released to the general population for use, scientists may see a decrease in illness even though not all persons have been given the vaccination.

From the Paper:

"The two vaccine mechanisms differ in how the genes are packaged, with one being a naked version (can't reconstitute into a contagious virus) and the other a weakened type. Since only HIV gene fragments are attached to the adenovirus, ones that cannot replicate, any participants in the study would not have reason to believe that they can become infected with the HIV virus. Directors of this study feel that using the adenovirus vector appears to be the most promising advance in the past years attempts of research. Half of the participants will be from the Americas, while the other half will be in Southern Africa. The participants will be divided into two groups and will get four injections that will be spread out over a six month period. Half will be given the vaccine while the other half will get the placebo."

More papers on HIV Vaccines:

• Essay # 52762 : "Minorities and HIV Vaccine Trials"
• Term Paper # 9995 : "The Search for an HIV Vaccine"
• Comparison Essay # 7268 : "Strategies for Dealing with HIV/AIDS"

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