Aids Vaccine Trials

23 April 2011

editorial

Nairobi — News that research into a vaccine that is viewed as the closest thing to a HIV vaccine yet developed has kicked off is encouraging.

It is a good thing that Kenyan scientists are at the cutting edge of efforts to tackle the HIV menace, one of the biggest health crises the world has faced.

A successful round of trials would be seen as a significant step forward. But the message should also go out to Kenyans that there is no known effective cure for HIV yet and the best bet is prevention.

Nevertheless, it is an encouraging affirmation of the skill of Kenyan scientists that they are able to manage such a delicate trial, including the successful recruitment of volunteers.

Apart from the ongoing research, Kenyan scientists were involved in another major study that managed to isolate three broadly neutralising antibodies from long term HIV survivors.

The antibodies are able to neutralise 90 per cent of the HIV-1 virus. Scientists are now working on the development of an Aids vaccine using this information.

One of the notable things about the current trials, however, is that many of the major scientific initiatives carried out through local research institutions are foreign-funded.

This is not a healthy state of affairs. Considering the importance of research in a developing country faced with many challenges, there should be a greater allocation in the budget for scientific research.

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