NC Healthcare Coverage Blog

Scientists and government leaders have now begun to explore how to figure out how to refine the world’s first effective AIDS vaccine. In a large study performed in Thailand, this new vaccine protected 1 in every 3 people from getting HIV.

This is great news but researchers are saying that it is not quite significant enough for instant use. This said, it is a milestone event in the 26 years since the AIDS virus originated. Until now, there were many scientists who feared that a successful vaccine would never be obtained because of recent setbacks. The U.N. agency UNAIDS and the World Health Organization said that the findings “instilled new hope” in the field, even though it will probably be years before a vaccine will be available on a large scale.

The study, which was performed by the Thailand Ministry of Public Health and sponsored by the U.S. Army, tested a combination of two vaccines in a “prime-boost” method. The first vaccine primes the immune system to attack HIV and the second makes the response stronger. Strains of HIV that are commonly found in Thailand were used in the study. Scientists emphasize that it is not yet known whether this type of vaccine will work against strains that are found in the U.S., Africa and other countries in the world.

The results of the study showed that new infections happened in 51 of the 8,197 given the vaccine and in 74 of the 8,198 who received fake shots. This came out to be a 31% lower risk of infection for the group with the real vaccine. Two of the infected participants who were administered the placebo actually died.

This was the very first time scientists have tried preventing HIV in the same way that they treat it – by using a combination approach. Two vaccines that work in different ways were used, which may explain why the method worked. Scientists said that neither vaccine was effective when they were given alone. The combo did reduce the risk of getting infected with HIV by more than 31% in the study of more than 16,000 volunteers from Thailand.

Scientists don’t know yet why the vaccine combination was successful. It was the Army’s suggestion to test the combination, according to Dr. Donald Francis, who is a former government scientist who helped pinpoint HIV as the cause of AIDS. He now leads the nonprofit group that holds the rights to AIDSVAX.

Aids advocates and scientists both agree that more research is needed but are very optimistic with this most recent vaccine. According to UNAIDS, every day there are 7,500 people in the world who are newly infected with HIV. It is estimated that the amount of people now living with the AIDS virus is estimated at a whopping 33 million.

Up until now, American women have always known to get an annual mammogram after age 40. Now, all of a sudden they are being told that this is not necessary until age 50 unless they have certain cancer risks. And who is telling them this? The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force made the startling announcement last week.

It is certainly understandable that this new advice has made many women feel uneasy. It seems like it has come out of nowhere with no warning. We all know someone who has been affected by breast cancer and many women under age 50 are now still alive because of a routine mammogram that discovered cancer early enough to be treated. Numerous women say they will ignore this advice and keep getting their mammograms as usual. On the flip side, there are those women who are excited, because they have been skeptical of the proficiency of the annual checkups for a long time.

Not only does the task force suggest women begin mammogram screening at age 5o, they are also saying that women age 50 to 74 get mammograms every two years instead of the standard yearly exams. Possibly the most surprising aspect to all these new guidelines is the almost unbelievable advice from doctors that women should stop doing self-checks on their breasts at home.

Since mammograms don’t cost too much for most women and are not invasive or painful, it will probably be difficult to change the minds of women who are cautious and are careful to get regular checkups in general. Many women who posted on nytimes.com said that they believe these new guidelines somehow stem from the debate on health care and are afraid that cost control was the culprit for this new scientific advice.

For the very first time in about 15 years, cigarette smoking has moderately increased. This has upset health officials who were optimistic that the U.S. smoking rate had permanently moved below 20 percent.

According to a 2008 survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, slightly less than 21 percent of American adults claim that they smoke. Unfortunately, that is an increase from the previous year, which had only 19.8 percent claiming to be smokers. Also, it is the very first surge in adult smoking since 1994.

Since the increase is so minor, it might be seen as insignificant. For this reason, experts and health officials are saying that the rate is flat and not rising. This said, they are still upset about this troubling trend.

Vince Willmore, a spokesman for the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, says that he believes they’ve hit a wall when it comes to decreasing adult smoking.  This campaign is a Washington-based research and advocacy organization.

Indoor smoking laws, cigarette taxes and Congress’ recent decision allowing the FDA to regulate tobacco have all contributed to smoking being conceived as a diminishing health hazard. Reductions in state tobacco control campaigns have compromised the positive steps that have been made towards reducing smoking. Some believe that tobacco companies are beginning to defeat rising obstacles.

Marketing cigarettes has consistently maintained and is now influencing kids and minorities by using flavored and menthol products, according to Dr. Clyde Yancy, who is the president of the American Heart Association. The industry has also been marking down cigarettes to compensate for tax increases. The average price of a pack of cigarettes has climbed 63 percent between 1997 and 2004. The price rose only 2 percent between 2004 and 2008, as adult smoking came down by 1 percent, according to industry sales data. Dr. Matthew McKenna, director of the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health, says that adult smoking stayed at around 21 percent from 2004 to 2006 and then plummeted a complete percentage point in 2007.

The smoking rate for adults has decreased on and off since the middle of the 60s. During this time, about 2 out of every 5 American adults smoked. Currently it is 1 in 5, although federal goals for 2010 were aspiring to decrease the rate to 1 in 10.

The results from this survey, which was released November 12, were achieved from personal interviews of almost 22,00 adult Americans.

Sadly, cigarette smoking still remains as the leading preventable cause of death and illness in the United States.