HIV vaccines: should SA be focusing on alternatives? August 13, 2009
Posted by Linda in : SAJS , add a commentIn the wake of disappointing results from the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN), and an equivalent trial which was halted in South Africa last year, Lynn Morris, from the National Institute for Communicable Diseases , and co-workers argue that there is still optimism for the development of a vaccine against HIV.
As the country with the most HIV infections in the world, South Africa has the greatest need for an HIV vaccine. Rather than cutting back on vaccine development, the country should double its efforts in a smart and innovative way. History shows that vaccination is still the most effective way to counter viral epidemics – smallpox, measles, hepatitis and other infections have either been eradicated or successfully controlled. The lessons learned from developing the polio vaccine are useful reminders that making a vaccine is no easy task, and that we still face many obstacles.
Read more: S. Afr. J. Sci. 105 (5/6), 168-169.
