‘We’re hopeful of HIV vaccine trial success’ – Dr Ayisi Addo

The Programmes Manager of the National AIDS Control Programme, Dr. Stephen Ayisi Addo has revealed that efforts to control the Human Immune Virus (HIV) are yielding positive results.

Speaking to Neil Armstrong-Mortagbe on the Morning Xpress on Radio XYZ 93.1MHZ, he was optimistic that the ongoing HIV vaccine clinical trials will give the world some hope in finding a lasting solution to HIV prevention.

“Two major vaccine trials are ongoing which provides us some hope that very soon we’ll be getting close to something significant,” he told Neil.

Dr Ayisi Addo was speaking in connection with the World AIDS Vaccine Day or HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, which is observed on May 18 every year. HIV vaccine advocates mark the day by promoting the continued urgent need for a vaccine to prevent HIV infection and AIDS. The day is also marked to increase the awareness of a continued need for a vaccine to fight against HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

The ongoing vaccine trial in South Africa, known as HVTN702, is an improved vaccine of one which was undertaken in Thailand and was estimated to have given some 30 percent protection to HIV negative persons.

While commending the work of scientists for their work so far, Dr Ayisi Addo said the HVTN is also expected to give a higher protection than the previous one to HIV negative persons in South Africa where its trial has been ongoing for more than a year.

“The vaccine trial actually gives us some hope. We are hoping that in 2020, the end of the trial should give us a result which would be an improvement on the rest,” he said.

There is a second trial alongside the HTVN702 which is also expected to end in 2021.

To Dr Ayisi Addo, there is hope for the world as scientists have intensified steps to get a vaccine to protect the world from HIV infection.

He also noted that the antiretroviral therapy in Ghana has also been successful in protecting many people.

He said the service rendered in various health facilities where HIV patients receive the therapy has improved, adding that another research being undertaken to extend antiretroviral drugs intake to a longer period also means there is some hope that the HI Virus can be managed to save lives.