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In 2005 alone, 5 million people were infected with HIV and 3 million people died as a result of AIDS. Over 40 million people across the globe are infected with HIV/AIDS today and 14,000 new infections occur every day. While we continue our efforts to expand treatment and prevention the epidemic rages on.
A safe, effective and globally accessible vaccine is the best hope to bring the devastating AIDS pandemic under control. Vaccines have saved more lives and resources than virtually any other public health intervention. They have eradicated smallpox, have nearly eradicated polio and have greatly diminished the human suffering caused by many other diseases.
For many years, scientists, policy makers and advocates have recognized that an accessible preventive vaccine against AIDS could have a profound positive impact on global public health, but it has taken longer to find an AIDS vaccine than initially expected. HIV presents numerous scientific challenges to vaccine researchers. Economic disincentives and scientific unknowns have translated into limited industry involvement in AIDS vaccine research.
In addition, human clinical trials of AIDS vaccines are necessary to determine whether or not candidate vaccines work, but AIDS vaccine research presents multiple complex ethical, political, community education and economic challenges that must be addressed if AIDS vaccine research is to succeed.
With all these hurdles, there are still many reasons to be optimistic that an AIDS vaccine can be developed. Today there are over 30 AIDS vaccine products in human clinical trials and more candidates in various stages of pre-clinical development. Over the coming years scientists will learn more about the promise of these current AIDS vaccine candidates and continue working to develop better vaccine candidates.
The purpose of the AIDS Vaccine Clearinghouse is to provide a resource for information on the key issues involved in the search for an AIDS vaccine. It is divided into separate content sections that each provides an overview, frequently asked questions and "top picks" of other sources to go to for further information on a particular topic. The site covers a wide variety of issues, all of which greatly affect the work of advocates, community members, researchers and policymakers as we work to develop an AIDS vaccine. The Clearinghouse includes both original content and annotated links to other helpful resources.
Several new content sections have been added to the Clearinghouse including the soon-to-be-interactive AVAC Advocates' Network page! This is an exciting new area where advocates will be able to exchange information, experiences and event details and use the tools the Clearinghouse provides to help increase AIDS vaccine awareness and support in communities.
See the site map for more details on the content and layout of the Clearinghouse.
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