AIDS Vaccine?

[katautumn]

I was watching a news segment the other morning discussing AIDS awareness day. They were talking about the great strides doctors and scientists have made in treatments for the HIV/AIDS virus and talked about how a vaccination against the disease has been in the works for several years now. I got to wondering what sort of an impact a pro-active vaccine would have. Then something else came to mind - would people be opposed to such a vaccine?

I remember the enormous outcry among conservative Christians when the FDA approved the HPV vaccine and urged women between the ages of nine and twenty-five to get the vaccination to help prevent contracting the strain of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. The outrage was over the fact that they assumed it would promote sexual promiscuity and that no such vaccine would be necessary if people would remain abstinent until marriage and faithful afterward. It makes me wonder if there would be an even bigger outcry over an AIDS vaccine.

Any thoughts?

 

[Adriac]

The tiny, noisy percent of the population that believes that God loves lesbians will likely be incensed.

No one will care.

/prediction

 

[DieHappy]

You're editorializing. People opposed the HPV vaccine because it isn't safe, hasn't gone through nearly enough clinical trials, was approved for political reason rather than public health reasons, and is assumed to become mandatory like the other, what are they up to now - 27? vaccine shots that kids are forced to get.

Why do you automatically assume a reason for protesting must be religious disagreement? Please don't be so prejudiced.

An HIV vaccine will never be successful because the virus mutates too fast. If it is, then take the time for proper clinical trials to prove that it's safe and effective. Then assure us through law that it will never become mandatory. If that happens, you won't hear much religious opposition.

 

[Garnet2727]

I think that such a vaccine would be wonderful!

 

[TracerBullet]

You're editorializing. People opposed the HPV vaccine because it isn't safe, hasn't gone through nearly enough clinical trials, was approved for political reason rather than public health reasons, and is assumed to become mandatory like the other, what are they up to now - 27? vaccine shots that kids are forced to get.

On what planet is the HPV vaccine not considered safe?

The FDA seems to be more than satisfied with the extensive testing done on the vaccine.
"Four studies, one in the United States and three multinational, were conducted in 21,000 women to show how well Gardasil worked in women between the ages of 16 and 26 by giving them either the vaccine or placebo. The results showed that in women who had not already been infected, Gardasil 100 percent effective in preventing precancerous cervical lesions, precancerous vaginal and vulvar lesions, and genital warts caused by infection with the HPV types against which the vaccine is directed."

yeah...that's nto well tested.

and 100% effective..no wonder people are concerend.



The FDA also peaks to side effects:
“No serious side effects were reported during clinical trials of Gardasil. The most common side effect of the HPV vaccine was mild soreness at the injection site.”



As for the Christian rights response:

“Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex.” Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council told the British magazine New Scientist

“people begin to market the [HPV] vaccine or tout the vaccine that this makes adolescent sex safer, then that would undermine the abstinence-only message.” Reginald Finger, Focus on the Family


“It would seem to send a message that we're expecting the girls to be sexually active." Wendy Wright, Concerned Women of America
(to bad Wendy, Reggie and Bridget aren’t concerned about cervical cancer)

 

[katautumn]

Why do you automatically assume a reason for protesting must be religious disagreement? Please don't be so prejudiced.

If my comments were merely baseless assumptions, then you could accuse me of jumping the gun based upon prejudice; however, my statements are not unfounded. Consider the following quotes, all made by leaders of so-called concerned Christian, pro-family organizations:

"Giving the HPV vaccine to young women could be potentially harmful because they may see it as a license to engage in premarital sex."
-Bridget Maher of the Family Research Council in an interview with "New Scientist Magazine"

The Family Research Council describes itself as a "Christian organization promoting the traditional family unit and the Judeo-Christian value system upon which it is built."

Leslee J. Unruh of the Abstinence Clearinghouse (which is not a strictly faith-based non profit organization, but does have direct ties to several faith-based groups) had this to say about the vaccine:
"If you tell a 13-year-old, You are protected against this STD, will she suddenly start thinking she is protected against all STDs, and therefore does not worry about having premarital sex and becomes sexually active?"

It should be noted that even though Abstinence Clearinghouse is not faith-based, founder Leslee J. Unruh is a devout Christian who posts many conservative Christian viewpoints in her blog.

Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America first expressed the sentiment that the vaccination would promote pre-marital sex; however, she later recanted and stated that she does understand that it could protect married women whose husbands may not be faithful.

When I Googled "Opposition to HPV vaccine" I could not find a single quote that was not faith-based in opposition to the vaccine. Every single one was an opposition based upon fear of "sending an inappropriate message to young women".

 

[RavenPoe]

I too read all about the religious opposition to the HPV vaccine and imagine a similar, but greater, reaction to an HIV vaccine.

This comes from the same stable of people who oppose making condoms available in schools, as they equate arming the youth with information and protection with giving them a license to fornicate.

 

[JesusWalks78]

i pray often that God give the scientists the right mind to create the vaccine/cure and quickly.

That would be a glorious, glorious day.

 

[RavenPoe]

On this we agree.

 

[Steezie]

I dont think there will ever be an AIDS vaccine because there is just WAY too much money tied up in AIDS research, charities, medical care etc etc.

Cure AIDS and you're sealing up a GOLD MINE and people know it.

 

[katautumn]

I tend to agree with your opinion, Steezie. I, too, have wondered if they would continue to profit off of AIDS research and treating AIDS patients instead of offering a vaccine that could significantly decrease the number of AIDS patients. I've also wondered the same thing about cancer.

 

[Steezie]

I tend to agree with your opinion, Steezie. I, too, have wondered if they would continue to profit off of AIDS research and treating AIDS patients instead of offering a vaccine that could significantly decrease the number of AIDS patients. I've also wondered the same thing about cancer.

Oh people are DEFINATELY tamping down cancer research.

Look at the money that it costs to get the medical care required to PREVENT cancer. If a doctor catches your cancer early and treats it, theres no money. So they reccomend you get screened for cancer regularly (Frequently). These screenings and tests can be expensive because they need to earn the money off of you that they otherwise would have recieved had you actually GOT cancer.

Simple economics, theres no money in curing people

 

[lemmings]

I dont think there will ever be an AIDS vaccine because there is just WAY too much money tied up in AIDS research, charities, medical care etc etc.

Cure AIDS and you're sealing up a GOLD MINE and people know it.

I'd be more like, "He who finds the cure to AIDs first will get their own gold mine in Africa". Think about all of the grants that the governments will give to this company. Anouther problem with holding the AIDs cure too long would be the fact that the crisis may be over in the next few decades for the industrialised world after condoms and HIV/AIDs testing become widly used, there is no money in the Africans that make less than $1 a day.


Their will likely be a massive outcry but it will quickly silence as people retaliate against the Religious Right.

 

[Steezie]

The problem with offering incentives is that people get competative. They dont want to share research with other researchers so they get to the prize first. People pooling thier research is a good way to achieve the goal faster.

I mean, 50 million is a good chunk of change.....MUCH more than 25 million...or 15 million....or 10 million...or 5 million......

If a researcher knows that they only need one little part to get the cure, most people would be willing to wait a few months or a year to figgure out that last part on thier own rather than split a huge nest egg with some other pencil neck.

Corporations especially are this way. Pharmaceutical companies are money grubbing entities who do not care about people. Do you think they would trade a potential multi-billion dollar gold mine for the good of humanity? No freaking WAY

 

[quatona]

I was watching a news segment the other morning discussing AIDS awareness day. They were talking about the great strides doctors and scientists have made in treatments for the HIV/AIDS virus and talked about how a vaccination against the disease has been in the works for several years now. I got to wondering what sort of an impact a pro-active vaccine would have. Then something else came to mind - would people be opposed to such a vaccine?

I remember the enormous outcry among conservative Christians when the FDA approved the HPV vaccine and urged women between the ages of nine and twenty-five to get the vaccination to help prevent contracting the strain of HPV that can cause cervical cancer. The outrage was over the fact that they assumed it would promote sexual promiscuity and that no such vaccine would be necessary if people would remain abstinent until marriage and faithful afterward. It makes me wonder if there would be an even bigger outcry over an AIDS vaccine.

Any thoughts?

A vaccine against AIDS blows the notion that AIDS is god´s punishment for "sexual immorality" out of the window. Go figure, why some people don´t like this prospect.

 

[trunks2k]

Yes some people will oppose an AIDS vaccine. As mentioned above, people opposed the HPV vaccine on moral grounds. I just hope that the segments of the population that would oppose an AIDS vaccine would be just a tiny percentage of the population.

 

[christalee4]

i pray often that God give the scientists the right mind to create the vaccine/cure and quickly.

That would be a glorious, glorious day.

Ditto - on this we agree.

When one sees the devastation of AIDS in societies, especially on the children, one can't not be for a cure. We have a large community of Caribbean people here, who are concerned with the growing numbers of AIDS orphans in Haiti. Many of the ministries are focused on the struggle to help these orphans in a very personal way, whether it's going over there to build more orphanages or bringing the children in to the mainland for treatment and family care. One couple has personally adopted nine orphans. I am very much against the attitudes and thinking of some churches that say "God wills it, so let people take personal responsibility and suffer the consequences". I believe that God's power moves in those gifted men and women to create cures for all diseases.

 

[DieHappy]

The FDA approved vioxx for kids right before it was pulled from the shelves for killing people. Quoting them as proof of safety won't cut it. Merck used aluminum in the placebo and based results of side effects on that, no one should get away with that sloppy science but the FDA allowed it. They also used a cohort that was way too small to be considered a viable size by the FDA, but it got approved anyway.

I guess I'll have a side of crow after reading those quotes, but I still think the biggest problem is making an unproven and unsafe vaccine mandatory, not making it available. I would love to see an Aids vaccine, proven safe and offered to anybody who wants it. I don't want to see one fast tracked through on shoddy science and forced on first graders "for the good of society."

 

[billwald]

Why waste resources on a communicable disease which is 100% preventable unless one is born with it or one intentionally goes into harm's way?

 

[trunks2k]

Why waste resources on a communicable disease which is 100% preventable unless one is born with it or one intentionally goes into harm's way?

*sigh*