Science, social issues hamper development of HIV vaccine. (Duke University)

DATELINE: Duke University

The alarming global spread of HIV has forced scientists to design protective and therapeutic vaccines without fully understanding how the virus works, a Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, researcher says.

Dr. Barton F. Haynes stated in a review article in the May 28, 1993, issue of the journal Science that the result of this critical lack of knowledge is that "there is no preventive HIV vaccine on the near horizon with clear prospects for clinical use."

Haynes, professor of medicine who serves on several national HIV vaccine committees, said tough social and ethical issues also are emerging. One example is that participation in a protective vaccine trial may induce more high-risk behavior by creating a false sense of …