The AIDS vaccine - What's happening?

Never has there been a greater need to halt AIDS in its track. While a threat to humanity at large, AIDS is also a huge threat to world development. About 90% of all new AIDS infections are in developing countries. Money, resources, and lives are being sucked in by the AIDS virus in countries that are so desperately in need of the basic necessities of life. Improving the standard of living in poorer countries is proving to be very difficult with such a high AIDS prevalence.

While education regarding safe sex practices is helping to slow down the AIDS epidemic, it is certainly not stopping it. An AIDS vaccine is absolutely necessary in turning the AIDS epidemic into history. And it seems quite feasible. On average it takes an entire decade for the HIV virus to develop into full blown AIDS. This indicates that the human body has some sort of ability to fight off the AIDS virus. A successful AIDS vaccine will capitalize on this ability.

So what is being done? What steps are being made to stop AIDS before it starts? Animal testing of vaccines are showing preventative qualities, and while animal testing does not always translate to people, it does provide some hope. Several possible vaccines are in the process of human testing, most recently in China.

If you are interested to donating please give to the International Aids Vaccine Initiative (IAVI): http://www.iavi.org/viewpage.cfm?aid=23

For more information:
http://www.iavi.org/
http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/03/13/china.aids.reut/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/4243209.stm
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/4318001.stm
http://www.ihv.org/research/vaccine.html