Vaccine needed to bring an end to AIDS

World AIDS Day, observed on December 1, is a sobering reminder for all, especially to us in South Africa, that the toll from AIDS continues to mount, with no end to the pandemic in sight. Today, AIDS is the primary cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa and the fourth leading cause of death globally. An estimated 33 million people are living with HIV. That is equivalent to the total number of people living in London, Lagos, Delhi and New York combined. What's more, another 7,500 people become newly-infected with HIV each day. Current prevention and treatment efforts alone will not end AIDS.

Yes, prevention programs have helped to reduce the number of annual infections globally. But these campaigns are not enough to bring about an end to this dreadful pandemic. In fact, in many countries these programs are not reaching those who are most at risk for infection. These groups include women, young people about to reach their sexual debut. In addition, some countries, such as Uganda, that registered early success reducing new infections through prevention programs, now fear that HIV incidence may be again on the rise.

We have also made significant advances in getting treatment to HIV-infected individuals. Yet even today, for every two individuals who receive these life-prolonging drugs, another five become infected with HIV. And only 20 percent of the individuals in low-and middle-income countries who need these drugs have access to them. This is simply unacceptable. But even an expansion of access to treatment is not a long-term solution to the AIDS problem.

We need a tool that can prevent people from becoming infected with HIV in the first place. We need a vaccine. We need a vaccine that will inoculate children against HIV before they start having sex. We need a vaccine so that women will have a method of HIV prevention that doesn't require their partners' consent. We need a vaccine! And we need South Africa's leadership to advance its development. At the AIDS Vaccine 2008 conference held in Cape Town in October, Health Minister Barbara Hogan said, “We have to do all that is necessary to get to an effective HIV and AIDS vaccine in the shortest time possible.” South Africa has played a significant role in the testing of AIDS vaccine candidates. With its scientific expertise, the country also plays a vital part in ongoing efforts to develop novel strategies aimed at improving the pipeline of AIDS vaccine candidates. For example, IAVI has recently partnered with the South African company Elevation Biotech to develop and test novel HIV antigens that elicit antibodies that will neutralize a wide range of HIV types circulating in the world.

As we approach World AIDS Day, IAVI extends an invitation to all South Africans to renew their commitment to the development of the one intervention that can eliminate AIDS from the map, an AIDS vaccine. In the words of Minister Hogan, “It's even more imperative now that we make HIV prevention work; we desperately need an effective HIV vaccine.”

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and World AIDS Day 2008