Aids History
Vaccine: Hope disappointed ... for now The year 2003 sadly marked the search for a vaccine against AIDS. Indeed, preliminary results from the study of the most successful conducted in Uganda have been negative: the vaccine does not protect against HIV 7. But it uses a protein on the surface of the virus to cause the production of antibodies (molecules that attach to the intruder in the body to assist in their destruction). However, many experts agree today to suggest that this approach alone can not eradicate the virus. We must succeed in activating the body's defenses and make it able to tackle the virus hidden in the heart cells . That is why vaccines tested today using HIV genes carried by vectors, a sort of "fake" virus. Other tests use molecules responsible for stimulating the immune system.
Finally, several research aims to produce a therapeutic vaccine, which was not intended to protect against infection, but to fight against the virus in HIV-positive. It can delay the onset of symptoms of the disease or limit the use of antiretroviral drugs ... but to date no patient has succeeded in eliminating the virus after being infected. More than 20 tests are being conducted around the world to develop an effective vaccine. One of them may be the weapon as required to end more than 20 years into the epidemic. Meanwhile, the treatment must not forget prevention. In France, 40 000 people are carriers of the virus without knowing it and 600 deaths are attributable each year. So far, all human wisdom is in these two words: wait and hope ...
AIDS History (part 1)
AIDS History (part 2)
