http://allafrica.com/stories/200305220185.html

Phase 2 of Aids Vaccine Trials Begins

The East African Standard (Nairobi)

May 22, 2003
Posted to the web May 22, 2003

Judith Akolo
Nairobi

Kenyan researchers have embarked on second phase of the HIV vaccine trials, Kenya Aids Vaccine Initiative(Kavi) Team Leader Prof Job Bwayo disclosed yesterday.

Bwayo said the first phase, in which the safety of the vaccine and its ability to stimulate the immune responses was tested in two groups of 18 volunteers each, was complete and no side effects noted.

He noted that the second phase of the trials will involve volunteers in Nairobi, Entebbe, London and Oxford and will involve between 100 and 1,000 volunteers.

In this stage, Bwayo noted, that conditions suitable for giving the vaccine will be tested and the intervals needed for administration and where on the body, it should be administered.

Bwayo who urged the public to maintain a high level of caution and guard against contracting the disease, said phase three which is also the results stage, could begin sooner than later, and it will involve a larger group of 2,000 and 10,000 volunteers.

The trials will involve volunteers from Kenya (Kisumu, Kericho, Nairobi and Mombasa) other countries to be incorporated in the third phase of the trials, will be Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Malawi, Cameroon, Ethiopia and South Africa.

Kavi is a constituent of the International Aids Vaccine Initiative(IAVI) and has it headquarters in New York.

Bwayo said KAVI is organising an awareness walk which will create an understanding among the Kenyan public on the efforts being made to discover a vaccine for the dreaded killer HIV/Aids.

Meanwhile the HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) has launched an international clinical trial with a vaccine, EP HIV-1090 to be tested on 42 volunteers simultaneously in the US and Botswana.

The trials will be conducted in Boston, Massachusetts area, St Louis, Missouri n the US and in Gaborone, Botswana.