Vaxgen

The AIDS Epidemic

AIDS is the most catastrophic disease in modern history. In a span of just more than 20 years it has become the world’s most deadly infectious disease. Unless a solution is found, it threatens to eliminate up to a sixth of the world’s population, or 1 billion people.

The magnitude of the AIDS epidemic is so enormous that it is no longer considered merely a public health issue. With up to 35% of the population infected in the hardest-hit countries of sub-Saharan Africa, the disease threatens social and economic stability. Members of the military, government and education all have been affected, along with those from virtually every other walk of life. Moreover, the disease hits hardest among those who are in their most productive years. Without these people to staff the institutions that define modern society, the social fabric is in danger of unraveling.

As history has demonstrated countless times, what threatens growth and stability in one region often affects another, even if it lies thousands of miles away. Which is why the U.S. and other developed countries consider AIDS more than a public health issue. AIDS is now described as a core impediment to economic growth and a threat to national security.

There is a common misconception that the AIDS epidemic is under control in the developed world. While the mortality rate associated with HIV has been sharply reduced thanks to behavioral changes and anti-retroviral drugs, they are imperfect solutions. Drug therapies are expensive, often toxic and they are not a cure. AIDS education programs have impeded but not stopped the epidemic. In 2000, nearly 45,000 people in North America were infected with HIV — the highest infection rate of a fatal virus since the influenza epidemic of 1918.

AIDS experts widely agree that only a vaccine can stop the epidemic. Vaccines are the ultimate weapons against infectious diseases because they induce what is called herd immunity. Herd immunity takes effect as the number of vaccinated people in the population increases. With more people vaccinated, fewer are infected and capable of transmitting the infection. Additionally, fewer of the exposed people are susceptible to infection. The combination of these two population-based events — fewer infected people and fewer susceptible people — rapidly decreases the incidence of infection. The phenomenon of herd immunity is being used to eliminate hepatitis B and polio. And it could be used to eliminate AIDS when a successful vaccine is available.

A vaccine does not need to be 100% effective to create herd immunity. Even a vaccine that is 30% effective can begin to eradicate the disease if it is widely administered and accompanied by prevention education. That’s why the FDA has indicated that it will approve an HIV/AIDS vaccine at this level of efficacy. However, VaxGen is working to develop an even more effective vaccine and plans to use data gathered from its Phase III trials to continue enhancing the effectiveness of AIDSVAX.

Worldwide Infections