A new survey by
the HIV Vaccine Communications Campaign, part of the
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, shows
that while most Americans believe HIV vaccines are the
best hope for ending the AIDS pandemic, they
wouldn't consider participating in an HIV vaccine
trial or encourage family members or friends to do so.
Reporting in the online edition of the Journal of
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes, the
NIAID researchers say that about 73% of those polled
said HIV vaccine research was important, but only 29%
expressed strong support for friends or family members
volunteering for HIV vaccine trials.
Much of that
reluctance may be due to the fact that many survey
respondents believe there is a risk of becoming infected
with HIV from an experimental vaccine; 78% of
African-Americans, 68% of men who have sex with men,
and 57% of Latinos either did not know whether HIV vaccines
could cause HIV infection or believed that they could do so,
according to the survey.
"It is
clear that we have a lot of work to do in explaining HIV
vaccine research," said Matthew Murguia,
director of the Office of Program Operations and
Scientific Information in the NIAID Division of AIDS, who
coauthored a paper based on the survey's findings.
"We must develop strong partnerships with
communities highly impacted by HIV/AIDS so individuals
from these communities can make informed decisions about
participating in HIV vaccine research."