Register for Statement of Anthony S. Fauci, M.D.
Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
National Institutes of Health on HIV Vaccine Awareness Day
May 18, 2009
On this 12th annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, we reaffirm our commitment to
the research needed to develop a safe and effective HIV vaccine.
People continue to become infected with HIV at an alarming rate. An estimated
2.7 million new HIV infections occurred worldwide in 2007 alone. Here in the
United States, about 56,000 new HIV infections occur annually — a figure that
has remained fairly consistent for more than a decade. Although antiretroviral
medicines have enabled individuals infected with HIV to live longer, healthier
lives, no one with HIV has ever been truly cured of the infection, and people
with HIV continue to die of AIDS-related diseases in unacceptably high numbers
in rich and poor countries alike.
Historically, vaccines have eliminated or greatly reduced the burden of many
viral diseases, including smallpox, polio, measles, and yellow fever. HIV,
however, presents unique and significant scientific obstacles that have made
vaccine development particularly daunting. Most importantly, people are unable
to mount an effective immune system response that clears HIV infection. This is
likely because of the ability of HIV to rapidly invade and hide in host cells,
and elude detection by normal immune system responses; its extraordinary
capacity to mutate and evolve; and its destruction or disabling of critical
immune system cells. While extremely rare, some individuals do develop
antibodies that effectively neutralize HIV, but investigational vaccines so far
have not induced these antibodies in a large number of people.
Recognizing these challenges and working to build upon disappointing clinical
trial outcomes, NIAID in 2008 hosted a scientific summit where we committed to
placing a greater emphasis on the fundamental research needed to unlock the
mysteries of the human immune system and HIV infection. Since that time, we have
launched several basic research-focused initiatives and studies that are
beginning to produce interesting insights that may help us design future HIV
vaccines. At the same time, we continue to test promising vaccine candidates in
clinical trials when scientifically appropriate.
Although vaccines will continue to play a prominent role in NIAID’s broad and
multifaceted HIV prevention research agenda, other new prevention approaches are
in advanced testing. These include microbicide gels or creams that can be
applied prior to sexual intercourse and pre-exposure prophylaxis — the use of
antiretroviral medicines in people who are not infected with HIV but who are at
high risk for infection. Another important prevention concept is universal,
voluntary HIV testing and treatment for those who test positive. One recent
model suggests that such a test-and-treat program could reduce HIV infection
rates by 95 percent within 10 years. NIAID is evaluating critical research
questions that underpin the validity of this voluntary approach.
Our hope is that the development of an HIV vaccine and other advances in HIV
prevention research will become part of a comprehensive HIV prevention toolkit
that will markedly decrease new infections, even as we continue to expand our
efforts to find a cure for HIV/AIDS.
Finally, today we specifically wish to thank the thousands of volunteers,
scientists, community members and health professionals who have participated in
HIV vaccine research and who continue to support and participate in this
extremely important research effort. With your help and continued dedication, we
will win the fight against HIV.
Dr. Fauci is director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious
Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland.
Media inquiries can be directed to the NIAID Office of Communications at
301-402-1663, niaidnews@niaid.nih.gov
NIAID conducts and supports research — at NIH, throughout the United States, and
worldwide—to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases, and to
develop better means of preventing, diagnosing and treating these illnesses.
News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related materials are available on
the NIAID Web site at
http://www.niaid.nih.gov
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) — The Nation's Medical Research Agency —
includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a component of the U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. It is the primary federal agency for conducting and
supporting basic, clinical and translational medical research, and it
investigates the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare
diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit
www.nih.gov
