16,402 Thai volunteers took part in the clinical trial, which started in 2006. Everyone got 6 shots - half got the candidate vaccine (which was actually a combination of two previously unsuccessful vaccines), and the other half got a placebo. Each person was then HIV tested at regular intervals for 3 years. The result was that the vaccinated people were 31.2% less likely to have contracted HIV than the placebo group. SA-WEEEET!!!
Now, exciting as the news is, it's not perfect. 31% is significant, but nowhere near good enough to release to the public. Even more troubling is that this vaccine was developed for a very specific strain of HIV found in Southeast Asia, which means it may not work on other strains in other parts of the world.
But you know what? I'm not going to let it kill my buzz. This is the best result in 20 years of research. Yes, this is fantastic news and I'm frickin' STOKED! Check out this more in-depth article courtesy of the folks at the NYT! This calls for celebration, people!!
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