HIV Vaccines...

So what's the news about vaccines? Is there one? If so, what does it do? Currently there is NO HIV vaccine available. Though there are several studies underway to determine if different vaccines work, nothing has been proven effective yet. In Seattle, we have several studies under way to examine prospects - one is a phase 2-B study (out of three phases) called the STEP Study. The initial report looks good, but it will be some time before we have a definitive "go" for a vaccine.

So how do vaccines work? A vaccine works by training your body to recognize something that isn't supposed to be in your body, also known as an "antigen" - and the best way to fight it. Your body creates "anti-bodies" to seek and destroy the antigen. HIV is a unique and complex virus that also mutates so it's hard to create a vaccine for. It also presents to the human body in blood celss that may bypass any anti-body or antigen recognition process, thus making it unique among viruses.

There are tons of misconceptions about vaccines, and especially with HIV vaccines. First, a vaccine, or a trial vaccine, can NEVER give you HIV. In reality, there is no part of the actual virus in any of the HIV vaccine studies. HIV vaccines are usually created using the shell of another virus (in the STEP Study it's a cold virus) with synthesized proteins from HIV injected into the shell. It hopefully works by tricking your body into thinking HIV is present, training your body to make antibodies, so if HIV is ever really there, it can fight it off effectively.

To get more info on the HIV vaccine studies in Seattle, call 1-888-HALT-HIV, or go to www.seattlevaccines.org

BACK