Swiss events mark World Aids Day

The process of developing an effective vaccine is expected to take many years swissinfo.ch

Aids prevention organisations have launched more than 100 events in Switzerland to mark World Aids Day on Saturday.

In Switzerland, the campaign to prevent Aids is targeting heterosexual men. Since 1990, heterosexual sex represents the most frequent means of transfer of the HIV virus. In particular, the sexual behaviour of young men can put them at risk of exposure to the virus.

In Lausanne, meanwhile, researchers are trying to develop a vaccine for Aids, the world’s fourth biggest killer. Some 40 million people now carry the virus, according to the United Nations Aids Organisation, UNAIDS. ·

After three years’ work by 32 scientific teams based throughout Europe, the European anti-HIV vaccine project, known as the Eurovac programme, is preparing to test a vaccine on humans.

Lausanne was selected because it has become a leading European centre for AIDS, and HIV research, says the head of the immunology and allergy department of the Vaudois University Hospital Centre, Giuseppe Pantaleo.

Healthy volunteers

The test subjects, who will be recruited over the next few months, will be healthy volunteers who do not come from any of the population groups most at risk from HIV infection.

The process of developing an effective vaccine is expected to take many years. Trials of another potential anti-AIDS vaccine are underway in America and Thailand. There are differences of opinion within the scientific community about the validity of the American and Thai trials, which are sponsored by a large bio-tech company.

“The bio-tech company sponsoring the (American and Thai) research decided to move to phase II of the trials although the scientific community does not believe the vaccine will ever be efficient,” said Pantaleo.

While the latest statistics of HIV infection released this week by UNAIDS show that poor people in high-income countries are more at risk today than they were five years ago, there is also bad news for wealthier countries.

Infections increase

“The most recent statistics clearly show a rebound in the number of infections in North America and Europe. It is possible people are taking less precautions because of progress in therapy and in vaccine development. This is difficult to solve because it is a problem of human nature,” says Pantaleo. ·

Developing countries are hindered in taking advantage of HIV research accessible to western countries because they lack the economic and political conditions to take advantage of it.

There is reason for optimism, however, he said.

“From a research and development standpoint the message is very optimistic because we have made extremely important advances, not only in controlling this disease but also in the development of multiple strategies for vaccine development.”

by Devra Pitt