A few years ago the hospital connected with my university was looking for test subjects for an experimental study of a HIV vaccine. I heard about it because two of my friends had already decided to become guinea pigs. I decided that it was right for me too. I was given two doses of a vaccine in the beginning stages.
A possible AIDS vaccine has been recently proved quiet dissapointing. And may also have increased infection risk. Volunteers who had received the vaccine had a higher rate of infection. This “vaccine” was a modified cold virus that was supposed to stimulate the immune system. Specifically stimulating the T cells, the main disease fighters of the body.
The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine for young women stirred quite a bit of controversy over the few years, more controversy that I can remember over a vaccine in my lifetime to date. HPV is arguably the most common sexually transmitted disease in the United States, and studies link the virus strongly with cervical cancer, clearly a colossal concern to modern women.
Well, it seems the great dream of a HIV vaccine has suffered yet another setback.
Remember those gross pictures of genital warts from sex-ed? Genital warts are caused by human papilloma virus (HPV). HPV can also lead to cervical cancer. The governor of Texas tried to mandate the HPV vaccine, which is most effective before a person is exposed to the virus (in this case, before a person becomes sexually active). But those pro-lifers seem a lot more interested in keeping women from having sex than actually saving lives:
