HIV vaccine cuts infection risk
Scientists discover HIV vaccine which cuts infection risk by a third
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By Richard James. |  |
Thursday, 24, Sep 2009 05:00
By Sarah Garrod.
Scientists believe they have developed a HIV vaccine which for the first time could cut the risk of infection.
The experimental aids vaccine has a 31.2 per cent efficacy in reducing the risk of HIV infection, researchers have said today.
The vaccine has been developed as a combination of two earlier experiments, and was given to 16,000 people in Thailand, making it the largest ever vaccine trial.
Hailed as a hugely significant scientific breakthrough, the vaccine was seen to reduce infection risk by a third.
The research was carried out by the US Army in conjunction with the Thai ministry of public health. It was tested on volunteers at 'average risk' of HIV infection in Thailand over seven years.
Half the volunteers were given the vaccine, half a placebo and all were given counselling on prevention of HIV/Aids.
There are some 33 million people around the world with HIV, with researchers desperately searching for a vaccine for years.
"This is a very important scientific advance and gives us hope that a globally effective vaccine may be possible in the future," Colonel Jerome Kim of the US military HIV research programme told a news conference in Bangkok.
Rachel King, information assistant at Avert, an international Aids charity, told inthenews.co.uk: "We personally think the news is really positive.
"Everyone hopes this will bring about change with the global HIV/Aids situation. In the early stages it looks really positive but we're remaining cautious until the full results of the research are released in October."