"Secret" HIV Vaccine in use?

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Specializes in med/surg, ER.

In a class discussion (not a nursing class), someone brought up that there is a "secret" HIV vaccine in use in Africa that the FDA will not approve here. The statement was made that "they" are vaccinating babies so they won't get HIV and that there is also a "cure". All of this information is supposedly maintained is some obscure African government files and websites but the American public is not supposed to know about it. I have found information that there are vaccine trials going in Africa, but nothing has been proven as yet. Has anyone else heard this? I'd like to have good

information to go back with so that misinformation doesn't continue to spread. I did ask the person who made the statement to bring her "proof". As a nursing student, our program has stressed critical thinking. I want to see the valid research and clinical trials (yes, I am one that takes things apart to see how they work!) Thanks!

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The problem is, you can't prove a negative. It is impossible. You can't prove that something doesn't exist. The best you can do is prove that something else does exist that makes the existence of the first thing illogical and therefore unlikely.

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Ya gotta love the conspiracy theories ... :)

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You can't 'cure' a virus. There's your proof right there...

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Specializes in Critical Care.

They've been testing several potential HIV vaccines in Thailand, but none, thus far, have proved successful. There is no conspiracy and your classmate needs to remove their tinfoil hat.

If a successful and safe HIV vaccine existed, you better believe the drug companies would be all over it and we'd have mandatory HIV vaccination as part of the childhood series. That's a cash cow subsidized straight from the government and the single biggest argument against any conspiracy against miracle cures or vaccines, be it cancer, HIV, or otherwise.

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Specializes in Med Surg, LTC, Home Health.

You cant cure a virus, but as with polio and now HPV, you can create vaccines that prevent you from contracting it.:up:

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Survey Uncovers Surprising Attitudes Towards HIV Vaccine Research

"47 percent of African Americans, 26 percent of Hispanics, 13 percent of men who have sex with men, and 18 percent of the general population believe that an HIV vaccine already exists but is being kept a secret."

www3.niaid.nih.gov/news/newsreleases/2005/hivsurvey.htm

leslie

eta: not sure why link isn't working, but if you type it in, the website pops up.

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You cant cure a virus, but as with polio and now HPV, you can create vaccines that prevent you from contracting it.:up:

Sometimes...

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The first time I was in college (in 1990) I had a biology professor who told his class that there already was a vaccine but it was not being released. He reasoning was that the pharmaceutical companies made so much money of the HIV drugs that they would lose money if there was a vaccine. In his theory the testing was done in Africa also.

These stories have been around for a long time. I really hope they do have a vaccine soon. But I just do not think they would keep it secret if they did.

Just my oppinion.

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Specializes in DOU.
The first time I was in college (in 1990) I had a biology professor who told his class that there already was a vaccine but it was not being released. He reasoning was that the pharmaceutical companies made so much money of the HIV drugs that they would lose money if there was a vaccine. In his theory the testing was done in Africa also.

These stories have been around for a long time. I really hope they do have a vaccine soon. But I just do not think they would keep it secret if they did.

Just my oppinion.

Wouldn't the drug companies make a lot of money off a vaccine, too? :smokin:

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Wouldn't the drug companies make a lot of money off a vaccine, too? :smokin:

Not as much as they do off the drugs to help the people with the diseases already.

Think about it. Say they charge $250 for XYZ vaccine. Everyone gets vaccinated and very few get the disease. They only made $250 off each person who got the vaccine.

Now, they charge $250 for a months supply of ABC medicine that controls/helps/treats the disease. They get $250 per month per person for however long the person lives. Say one person lives 10 yrs with the disease and takes the meds. The drug company made $30,000 on that one person. Now had that person gotten the vaccine, they only made $250.

Much much more money to produce the drugs that treat or help the person, than to make it so people don't get the disease and have to take the meds.

Its all about the almighty dollar.

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But the stories and rumours of a hidden or secret vaccine keep going around.

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