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Should we stop looking for a H.I.V. vaccine and instead focus on prevention through education?
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E-mailMade Popular Mar 21 2008
A much-heralded H.I.V. vaccine has failed to work in a large clinical trial, dealing another serious setback to efforts to stop the AIDS epidemic.
YES
# The failure has reinforced the view that H.I.V. is unlike any infection for which scientists can successfully develop a vaccine and it’s better we focus on prevention through education.
# The latest failure in the search for an AIDS vaccine proves that we should stop testing HIV vaccines on humans.
NO
# It’s never been easy to develop vaccines to battle viruses. The only way viral diseases such as polio and smallpox have ever been eradicated is through vaccination and there are always frustrating stories to be told about getting a vaccine.
# The quest for a vaccine needs to continue but it’s too dangerous to test on people.
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Parul G
Mar 21 2008
Delhi,
India
True, precaution is also better than combating a disease later. More so if it is as deadly as AIDS is. More so if a person is infected with AIDS virus then S/he is bound to succumb to it, sooner or later. Indeed education can go a long way in keeping AIDS or for that matter any fatal ailment at bay. The earlier our so-called policy makers realize the potential of education the better it would be.
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Prevention and awareness is always better than cure. Medicine companies are making billions of dollars in the name of AIDS vaccines. It has become an easy process to make money. People should start strictly using the precautionary measure to keep them safe from this disease.
We should understand it is not an easy task and it cannot be achieved in days. Finding a vaccine to restrict transmission of HIV or to restrict its pathogenic and epidemic potential is one of the great challenges for humanity. It will definitely take time..
It seems scientists are not contributing their 100% efforts in the search of vaccination. The HIV virus was first identified in 1981 and since then some 40 million people have been identified as carrying the virus. Four million people get infected each year and ninety percent of new cases are coming in developing countries. This is clear indication of lack of awareness drives in different countries in third world region.
Yes, this is the biggest disappointment for the people involved in the research work and for the HIV communities too. Developing an effective vaccination to stop the spread of HIV is one of the most challenging tasks facing by medicine companies.
Its a sad news. The all previous experiments done on animals and smaller-scale tests on human beings had given some encouraging outcome. because of the success in these experiments, researchers started thinking to develop the AIDS vaccine using a common cold virus to deliver three genes from the AIDS virus. But it has been failed now and researchers are again at starting point to start a new journey.
Merck's V520 might have failed to deliver, but scientists have still hope to find vaccines in future that will work for sure. V520 is just one of more than 50 HIV vaccines currently on experiment in clinical trials.
It's not yet clear why V520 didn't work, but one theory involves its vector. So, we shouldn't lose the hope. Scientists will definitely get success in achieving the vaccination to restrict the HIV AIDS in human body.
As all we know that Science and vaccine development are the iterative process. Except that in HIV vaccine research, it is difficult to find lot of iteration in AIDS vaccine research. The scientists have ensured the clinical trials were done faster, better and smarter so there is still the hope.
Just prevention cannot eradicate HIV completely. The only way to make sure th HIV virus becomes history like polio and small pox, is to develop a vaccine for it. The question of whether it is ethical or unethical to test vaccines on humans is an endless debate though!!!
Well, I do not quite want to just straightaway say ”no” as an answer. But yes this column holds more meaning for me. Ofcourse, prevention is necessary but it is so only in the elite classes who know about HIV. The most affected classes are the lower classes who go for multiple sex-partners without any protection. Well, there is a considerable amount of stigma associated as well. Thus, it might be a very difficult task to enlighten them about the whole issue!
Well, I dont think this debate is regarding where AIDS is more prevalent- elites or no elites. It affects all alike, so, the humanity, in general, should go for the preventive measures and in the meantime, scientists have done a pretty decent job and still continuing with it. Hope some day we’ll be with some sort of diagnosis.
If we will stop looking for vaccine for HIV, then it is tantamount to forgetting about those who are already infected by the virus.
But I strongly believe that information dissemination must be strengthened to combat the spread of the infection.
Both should be done in equal proportion to keep the uninfected from possible infection and to reduce the pain of those infected.
This may be a tough endeavor and funding is a necessity. But prevention through education is a big factor to inform the public about the transmission and the modes of HIV infection.
But I strongly believe that information dissemination must be strengthened to combat the spread of the infection.
Both should be done in equal proportion to keep the uninfected from possible infection and to reduce the pain of those infected.
This may be a tough endeavor and funding is a necessity. But prevention through education is a big factor to inform the public about the transmission and the modes of HIV infection.
We should never stop looking for a cure to anything that shortens the lives of out fellow humans.
Prevention is always better than cure, but ... when we talk about aids, this phrase looks like an unwilling compromise. Come on, we are not talking about the common cold or the petty sunburn, which can be easily prevented by exercising hygiene or by using an umbrella (no pun intended here), and which we all abide by, because no one fancies a running nose or a chapped skin. But AIDS is inter-related with one very pleasurable activity, which is very hard to resist.
In spite of the vigorous attempts at educating people regarding the ills of AIDS and the emphasis on adopting preventive measures while engaging in sexual activities, the numbers are increasing. WHY? Because human being has always fallen prey to the tides of his emotions.
The bottomline is crystal clear — Prevention and precaution can play the supporting characters and assist in the fight against AIDS, but VACCINE is undoubtedly the real HERO of this battle.
In spite of the vigorous attempts at educating people regarding the ills of AIDS and the emphasis on adopting preventive measures while engaging in sexual activities, the numbers are increasing. WHY? Because human being has always fallen prey to the tides of his emotions.
The bottomline is crystal clear — Prevention and precaution can play the supporting characters and assist in the fight against AIDS, but VACCINE is undoubtedly the real HERO of this battle.
Obviously , the key lies with education but we must not forget that the process will take decades. And in that time millions of people will get effected and will die.
So its not medicine and its not preventive measures, but both together are needed to help face the situation
So its not medicine and its not preventive measures, but both together are needed to help face the situation
I think it is not about having just one remedy for a disease that affects such large numbers and carries a major social stigma. It is a synergy of both, preventive education as well scientific discoveries, to deal with this problem.
though the importance of awareness and education cannot be emphasized enough, at times it does not safe-guard a person from contracting a virus. scientists should not give up hope for developin a vaccine because that is the only measure we can take to truly eradicate this deadly disease
Abstinence and safe sex education is a practice and not a permanent solution. As human beings we are bound to err at some point of time. There will always be incidences where we shall be found with our guards lowered. That will mean getting infected by the virus.
This calls for a permanent solution that can only be achieved through finding a proper vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS. There is no alternative to that. Diseases like small pox has been eradicated. Polio and leprosy is on the verge of eradication. Our history gives us enough reasons to be optimistic. A few failures should not deter us from further research for this purpose.
This calls for a permanent solution that can only be achieved through finding a proper vaccine or cure for HIV/AIDS. There is no alternative to that. Diseases like small pox has been eradicated. Polio and leprosy is on the verge of eradication. Our history gives us enough reasons to be optimistic. A few failures should not deter us from further research for this purpose.
Giving up on research to find AIDS vaccine will be defeat of humankind before a virus. Education is not a complete solution. It will take more time to educate all the vulnerable than to find a vaccine. Despite living with HIV for 3 decades now and knowing what causes HIV infection the world HIV population is relentlessly going up. Therefore finding a vaccine is more important.
This means:
Give up sex without condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS and other venereal diseases.
Stay away from birds to avoid avian flue.
Move around with gloves on to prevent hepatitis.
Avoid using public toilets for they have known to infect people with many diseases.
Stay away from diseased people.
Stay away from enclosed places like movie theaters, airplanes, buses etc because you may catch airborne communicable diseases like tuberculosis.
Educate people and hope to get rid of all diseases on earth. Why spend trillions of dollars on healthcare and pharmaceutical research when education can do everything for us.
This is rubbish. The focus should solely on vaccine development for HIV. There ain't no way out.
Give up sex without condoms to prevent HIV/AIDS and other venereal diseases.
Stay away from birds to avoid avian flue.
Move around with gloves on to prevent hepatitis.
Avoid using public toilets for they have known to infect people with many diseases.
Stay away from diseased people.
Stay away from enclosed places like movie theaters, airplanes, buses etc because you may catch airborne communicable diseases like tuberculosis.
Educate people and hope to get rid of all diseases on earth. Why spend trillions of dollars on healthcare and pharmaceutical research when education can do everything for us.
This is rubbish. The focus should solely on vaccine development for HIV. There ain't no way out.
Educating people may give us the little extra time that we need for research before the AIDS situation gets out of hand. But one must also realise that this is only a temporary solution. So the answer can neither be "YES" nor be "NO". It has to be both.
The threat of AIDS and the fear has made many millions of sex workers around the world to insist their clients to use condoms esp in India. Condoms are distributed free of costs by various NGOs in red-light districts in cities and towns. Despite this the number of HIV/AIDS cases have increased many folds in the last 2 decades.
Therefore it becomes imperative that we come out with a vaccine or a cure for HIV/AIDS. Mere education is failing everywhere.
Therefore it becomes imperative that we come out with a vaccine or a cure for HIV/AIDS. Mere education is failing everywhere.
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