Trials Offer Hope for First Ever AIDS Vaccine

WASHINGTON -- Researchers say they may be a step closer to a vaccine for HIV and Aids.

A new vaccine combination tested in Thailand seems to have lowered the rate of infections by more than 30 percent. That's modest, but it's exciting news in a fight that has yielded nothing but defeats.

Clinical trials in Thailand have sent a wave of cautious optimism throughout the medical world.

"Even though it's a very modest effect, it at least proves the concept that it can be done, and our work lies ahead of us," said Dr. Anthony Fauci.

The multi-year study, of 16,000 people, conducted by the Thai Health Ministry and the U.S. Army, combined two existing drugs.

The result: a 31 percent drop in infections.

"When you have a vaccine, you really like to see a vaccine that's 60, 70, 80 percent effective - or even more," Fauci said.

Still, after years of failure, this study raises the bar and raises hopes.

"It's been, I guess, 24 years now of sustained efforts to try to develop an AIDS vaccine. But I don't think we know enough about this to know whether it's really a first step. But it could be," said HIV researcher Michael Lederman at the University Hospitals, Cleveland.

In Washington, DC, where the HIV and AIDS rate has topped three percent, a ribbon cutting at a new clinic.

Actor Blair Underwood has been raising awareness and money for AIDS causes since the 1980s.

"Thirty-eight million people around who are HIV - who have HIV or AIDS. Thirty-eight million. So anything that is promising to change that statistic is a good thing," said Underwood.

One study, some modest results and big hopes that researchers are a step closer to beating aids.

Researchers are hoping to learn more about this study next month, at an international conference in Paris.

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