AIDS Vaccine Research Central To Fighting HIV/AIDS Pandemic, Letter to Editor Says

AIDS vaccine research is "crucial" if the world is going to "beat back" HIV/AIDS, Seth Berkley, president and CEO of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative says in a Washington Post letter to the editor in response to a May 22 Post article. The article suggests the virus is "unassailable" and that attempts to develop new methods to fight it are "futile," Berkley writes, adding that these statements represent an "underestimat[ion]" of the "increased political and financial commitments" and "new scientific consortia" that are "tackling the most crucial scientific questions" surrounding the disease. He adds that such efforts are giving researchers "important clues" about new AIDS vaccine design. The "best hope of reversing the pandemic" is to find a vaccine, Berkley writes, concluding that there is a clear need for "greater attention to and resources for AIDS prevention" (Berkley, Washington Post, 6/7).