AIDS plan needed

Next March the results of an ongoing HIV/AIDS vaccine trial-one that involves Montreal participants-will be announced, but Canada’s far from being ready to deal with its findings, according to Ralf Jürgens, executive director of the Montreal-based Canadian HIV/AIDS Legal Network.

“We need to plan for that time when a vaccine is available,” says Jürgens. “A year ago last week Canada signed a declaration of commitment to step up efforts on HIV vaccine research and on treatment. We haven’t done that. The government is administering an epidemic rather than fighting an epidemic.”

Over 4,000 Canadians get infected with HIV each year and a new vaccine could actually raise that total if not managed right. “When a vaccine becomes available, perhaps in a couple of years, that vaccine would not offer 100 per cent protection at the beginning. It would only offer partial efficacy, and that means people would still have to use all the precautions they have now, and that’s a difficult message to convey,” he says.
Jürgens estimates a 100 per cent effective HIV vaccine remains up to 10 years away, which means that there’s still much protection awareness work to do, as well as planning for the implementation of a partially effective vaccine. “This government has not been showing leadership in managing the crisis. It invests only $42-million a year for its HIV/AIDS strategy, with just $2.2-million into vaccine research. That’s just a drop in the bucket.” :
-Kristian Gravenor