why vaccine is not yet developed against HIV virus?

Answer 1

It's nice to see a Dr. respond. The reality is that the HIV retrovirus is a sloppy copier. The way it takes hold in your system is by attaching to white blood cells (your immune system) and inserting itself into the cell. The virus RNA then unravels and attaches itself to the RNA of the white blood cell to begin copying.

There are several factors at play here, some have already been mentioned. There are two main strains of the HIV virus in the world (that are documented), HIV-1 and HIV-2. HIV-1 is most prevalent in the U.S. while HIV-2 is more common in Europe and Africa (I believe). So, as previously stated, one vaccine may not help everyone.

Next, the virus itself tends to mutate as it is copying. Each individuals system is slightly different than the next. As an HIV infected individual stays on anti-retroviral therapy (ART) for an extended period of time, the virus begins to mutate. This is how drug resistant strains of the virus form. There are four (4) main classes of ART - Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs), Non-Nucleotide Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NNRTIs), Protease Inhibitors (PIs) and Fuzeon Inhibitors. Each attacks the virus at different stages of replication. Usually, a patient will be on a combination of two or more classes of these medications. A common (current) combo therapy usually consists of a NRTI and NNRTI. PIs have a tendency to have more side effects and are not usually prescribed first.

Anyway, the longer you are on ART, the more likely it is that the virus will mutate, forcing you to change combo therapy. This mutation is a very large part of why it is so difficult to create a vaccine. Each little change the virus undergoes, means a slightly different version of the virus exists. This multiplication of possibilities has been a serious hindrance to the creation of a single effective vaccine.

There is no big conspiracy. While it is true that PHARMA (pharmaceutical companies as a whole) love to make their money, it is highly unlikely that they would hold back a working vaccine to the world's largest pandemic in modern history.

Todd (AIDS - positive since 2004)

Answer 2

A "virus" is a really complex thing... It depends on it's host for survival and HIV really found a great host in humans.

HIV is a stealth virus and actually goes into our DNA and hides out. Our body's immune system can't get rid of it, because everything looks "normal" on the outset.

Think about how many "colds" there are and how many you may have caught in your lifetime. HIV is mutating much faster and is coming up with ways to stay alive. It's really scary.

It's been impossible to come up with a vaccine. Researchers are doing everything they can to develop one.... but HIV loves human DNA, so it will take some time.

Answer 3

Developing vaccines against viruses is extremely difficult. Viruses mutate constantly, including the Hiv virus...so a vaccine would be no good by the time it was developed and manufactured. That is the problem with the flu vaccine. Every year a new one has to be devloped..and then they hope it will be effective against the virus that actually hits that winter. Prevention is the key. Exposure to the HIV virus is voluntary.

Answer 4

Dr. Rajan is completely right. Ignore the conspiracy theorists and those paranoid about the government. Vaccine trials have been underway for years, but no vaccine has shown to be effective. The wikipedia article gives a good overview of the problems involved with the development, as well as some of the positive research that has been done.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HIV_vaccine

Answer 5

Too much contraversy. Lets pretend we did infact develop a vaccine. Now we need to decide, who will test it and if it works, which country gets it first, how much will it cost, how should it be distributed, how do we handle the adverse effects, etc etc...Right now there are probably cures for cancer, alzheimers and anything else you can think of but theres alot that has to be done behind the scenes before it will ever reach the general population.

Answer 6

if there was a vaccine, it wouldn't be 100% effective (like all vaccines), I'd imagine people spreading it more since they think they are safe
companies make more money off hiv drugs than they would off hiv vaccines
it mutates too much

Answer 7

vaccine is not something easy to developed because as you are developing one a new strain will exist that is immune to this vaccine and it will not be effective so the best way as of now is to use safe and proven way to not have it and also the use of "cocktail medication" which is very expensive... jusst practice safe sex as of now is the best weapon against hiv.

Answer 8

for the same reason theres no cure for cancer and nothing gets done about problems with the enviorment or anything else that kills us and could possibly be prevented...its a way for the government to control the population

Answer 9

because the gov't is trying out controlled ellimination...this keeps the humans here in comfort for longer. They have the cure and will use it once it is an obsolete disease or all encompassing

Answer 10

The same reason we still have so much cancer ( that could be cured) BIG MONEY IN IT!!!