New vaccine helps monkeys fight HIV

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A vaccine that helps the body control the Aids virus, but does not prevent the initial infection, shows promise in monkeys and will soon to be tested on humans, a researcher said last month.
It is one of the first vaccines designed with a compromise in mind. As the vaccines tested to date have had limited success in preventing infection, scientists are now aiming at a vaccine that can dull the most lethal effects of HIV.
Virologist Harriet Robinson, from Atlanta's Emory University, said that a vaccine she is working on did not prevent infection in monkeys, but did stop them from getting sick.
Robinson said: "I think we are going to be able to control HIV infection. All the vaccinated animals became infected, but in contrast to the non-vaccinated animals, they controlled their infections to levels seen in humans who are long-term non-progressors." She said that 19 of the 20 animals that got the vaccine were still controlling the virus to barely detectable levels nearly two years later.
The label 'long-term non-progressor' is given to someone who has become infected with HIV but never progresses to Aids, or takes a very long time to do so. This research gives hope to the theory that a vaccine may be able to imitate the immune system of such people and be able to control the infection.