Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Victim of beating in Kent last week is declared dead at Akron hospital
Can DNA tests free ex-Akron captain?
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
Does it work? Test team returns to try out new products advertised on television
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Sunday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
Browns sick after sick loss in Detroit
Akron Zips:
Zips advance to Sweet Sixteen
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Post-game defensive quotes
Kent State Sports:
Kent State defeats Rochester College, 63-44
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs vs. Philadelphia 76ers
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
The Sunday Sanity Challenge
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (69) The Brookings Institute Study on "Bending the Curve" – Four General Strategies
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
A Random Rant on Testing
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Less about a vaccine and more about treatment and prevention
Published on Monday, Mar 31, 2008
Two human trials of a promising vaccine have been halted since late last year after reviews of the data indicated the vaccine did not protect the recipients but may have made them more likely to contract HIV infection.
Faced with those distressing results, the researchers have made the call, wisely, not to chase shadows. They will refocus attention on basic research and direct more of the available resources to developing approaches that improve current prevention and treatment alternatives. Disappointing as the development is, the failure of the vaccine route does not mean it is a permanent dead-end. Scientific breakthroughs rarely follow a deliberate timetable.
Much has been accomplished globally over the years. We know more about the nature of HIV/AIDS and about treatments and prevention. Total spending on HIV/AIDS has increased, rising between 1996 and 2007 from about $300 million to nearly $10 billion.
Still, HIV/AIDS is a potent global threat, weakening the fabric of societies and economies in many regions. A quarter-century later, the impact of the viral disease remains sobering.
The latest estimates from the World Health Organization and UNAIDS put the number of new infections at 6,800 per day. In 2007, HIV/AIDS claimed 2.1 million lives. More than 33 million people worldwide live with the infection.
The challenge in containing the AIDS pandemic goes well beyond a disappointing quest for a vaccine. The failure emphasizes again that for the foreseeable future, global success in controlling the viral infection will depend on applying the precautions research has taught in 25 years, the simplest of which is to avoid complacence about risky behavior.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
