A few months ago, it seemed that a big step had been taken in the development of an HIV/AIDS vaccine. Now it turns out it may not be such a big deal, after all. From the story:
A deeper analysis of the results of an HIV vaccine tested in Thailand suggests that the vaccine may not have been as effective as originally indicated. When first publicly disclosing the outcome of the Thai trial in September, researchers said the vaccine had lowered the risk of infection by about 31%. That result was modest but statistically significant, meaning it wasn’t the result of a fluke. That announcement, coming after two decades of failed HIV vaccine trials, garnered headlines around the world. Now, two other analyses of the trial data suggest that the results could have been due to pure chance, and therefore the vaccine may not have conferred protection to people after all.
That’s too bad. But here’s the thing: Nobody need get HIV. It can be utterly prevented by following simple lifestyle guidelines: Don’t have sexual relations except with a mutually monogamous, uninfected partner. Don’t do drugs. At least in the developed West, that would prevent nearly 100% of cases. Condom use will prevent most—but not all—other sexually transmitted infections.
This is not to say that we shouldn’t find a vaccine. We should. But it is to say that people can protect themselves without it. Alas, too many people aren’t doing that. The rate of infection remains stable, meaning that people are acting recklessly in the face of this scourge. Let us hope and pray the drugs that keep the infection at bay continue to remain effective.
