Vaccination with ALVAC and AIDSVAX to Prevent HIV-1 Infection in Thailand

With more than 7000 new HIV infections each day, there is a tremendous need for a prophylactic HIV vaccine. In this study involving more than 16,000 largely heterosexual subjects in Thailand, a vaccine regimen against HIV showed some efficacy against HIV acquisition but did not have an effect on the subsequent viral load or CD4+ count in those who became infected. A vaccine regimen against HIV showed some efficacy against HIV acquisition but did not have an effect on the subsequent viral load or CD4+ count in those who became infected. In the late 1980s in Thailand, there was a dramatic increase in the prevalence of infection with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) in sentinel surveillance cohorts. 1 – 3 Initially, these groups consisted of injection-drug users and commercial sex workers; they were subsequently expanded to include persons in the general population. By 1995, the overall seroprevalence of HIV-1 reached a peak of 3.7% among conscripts in the Royal Thai Army and of 12.5% among conscripts from Northern Thailand. 2 , 4 , 5 The Thai Ministry of Public Health responded with an effective HIV-prevention campaign, and the number of new HIV-1 infections per . . .