Vaccine search progresses

  In the Oct. 9, 2009, issue of The Wooster Blade, former Blade staff writer David O’Donnell wrote about a newly developed HIV vaccine called ALVAC and AIDSVAX, two separate vaccines that became more potent once used together.

  O’Donnell cited a Bloomberg.com article that explained the vaccine was 31.2 percent effective in preventing the development of AIDS in tested participants.

  However, according to newvision.co.ug, the ALVAC and AIDSVAX vaccine was not effective nor was it beneficial enough to be pursued further than 2009.

  Contrarily, according to an article from New York’s PIX 11 on Dec. 1, 2014, the aforementioned study conducted in Thailand was a pivotal moment for the hunt to find a cure for HIV and AIDS.

  While the strain that was developed and tested specifically for Thailand was only 31.2 percent effective, a new strain is in the works to be tested in the highly HIV-infected areas of Africa.

  The PIX 11 article went on to say that if this newly developed strain proves to be successful, “in 10 years there could be a first-generation vaccine [for HIV].”