Facebook
Yesterday I came across an op-ed in the New York Times entitled “Have Faith in an AIDS Vaccine.” A lot of people were thrilled a few weeks ago when the news came out that the Thailand AIDS Vaccine trial was a success. However, for some who read into the materials, it looked like the success rates of the vaccine were very low.
This op-ed in today’s Times written by Seth Berkley, the Director if IAVI (International AIDS Vaccine Initiative) pointed out the controversy involved with this newly released data, and admitted that the success rate of the vaccine trial was “overblown” by the news media.
Apparently, the 31.2% reduced risk of infection was not COMPLETELY accurate. The vaccine itself may not have produced the reduced risk of infection, but those who were vaccinated may have not come in contact with the disease even though these individuals may have participated in at-risk behavior.
The complexity of HIV/AIDS in addition to the attempt to find a vaccine is a truly difficult process. I applaud those who participate in the vaccine trials all over the world, as well as Mr. Berkley for pointing out to the public about some inaccuracies that may have been left out of news media coverage.
As a student interested in public health and an HIV/AIDS activist, I’m glad that Mr. Berkley took the step to point out this error to the public. His article reasserts the importance of having vaccine trials, and hopefully these trials will continue to be funded, even though there has not been great success shown thus far. The mere publicity of the Thai vaccine trial showed the public that this is something the public health community is working on, but the controversy over its success could deter people from having faith in the cause.
No Comments.
[Add New Comment]