Untitled

There were a few things about this article that surprised me.

1) I didn't know anyone was even close to testing an AIDS vaccine
2) I almost can't believe they were able to find volunteers to take the vaccine
3) I find it shocking that in America today, lifestyle choices still lead to HIV/AIDS

Before I go on, I just want to clarify #3. The article says the volunteer base was made up of people more likely to get HIV/AIDS. It was comprised of a group of people who were mostly homosexual men and female prostitutes. The article states that:

They were all repeatedly counseled about how to reduce their risk of HIV infections, including use of condoms, according to Merck.

And:

NIH said a data safety monitoring board, reviewing interim results, found the vaccine did not prevent HIV infection. Nor did it limit severity of the disease "in those who become infected with HIV as a result of their own behaviors that exposed them to the virus" — another goal of the study.

The whole thing is sad because even though it may seem odd that American's still get HIV (knowing EVERYTHING we know about it), there are still other places, namely Africa, where they almost can't avoid it. I must say though, I cannot imagine a day when someone comes up with a cure or preventative immunization ---the other side of me thinks it more likely that HIV is one of nature's ways of limiting population...a modern day plague.