These were among the conflicting findings of a telephone survey of more than 3,500 adults to
assess attitudes, knowledge and awareness of HIV vaccine research in the United States. The survey,
conducted by members of the HIV Vaccine Communications Campaign of the National Institute of Allergy
and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, points to the ongoing
challenges HIV vaccine researchers face. A paper on the survey results is available online now and
will be published in an upcoming print issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune
Deficiency Syndromes.
Tens of thousands of volunteers are required for the more than 30 HIV vaccine clinical trials
currently planned or under way, says NIAID director Anthony S. Fauci, M.D. It is essential
that current and future trials involve volunteers from diverse communities to enable us to find a
vaccine that works for all populations.
It is clear that we have a lot of work to do in explaining HIV vaccine research, adds paper co-author
Matthew Murguía, director of the Office of Program Operations and Scientific Information in the
NIAID Division of AIDS. We must develop strong partnerships with communities highly impacted by HIV/AIDS
so individuals from these communities can make informed decisions about participating in HIV vaccine research.
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