New Vaccine May Provide TB Prevention for People with HIV

TB otherwise known as tuberculosis is one of the leading cause of deaths especially among those infected with HIV.  In 2008, it is estimated that 500,000 who died of tuberculosis were HIV infected individuals.  Tuberculosis infection among HIV positive people is unfavorable and most likely to cause increased sickness as compared to those not infected with HIV.  This is because HIV is weakening the immune system which likely causes latent tuberculosis developing into a more active TB infection.  During the advanced stage of HIV infection, vulnerabilities towards various infections called ‘opportunistic infections’ actually takes advantage of a weakened immune system.   Since tuberculosis is an HIV related opportunistic infection, having both is actually critical and life threatening.  As you can see, HIV infected individuals may need protection against many serious opportunistic infection such as tuberculosis and it is indeed a “significant milestone” how medical experts discovered a new vaccine which may actually help prevent tuberculosis among people with HIV.

A new study published online in the journal of AIDS, demonstrated phase III trials of 2,000 HIV-infected individual in Tanzania.  Researchers discovered how mycobacterium vaccae (MV) vaccine have actually reduced the rate of tuberculosis by 39 percent.

According to Dr. Ford von Reyn, director of the DarDar International Programs for the infectious disease and international health section at Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, New Hampshire; the development of this new vaccine against tuberculosis is a major international health priority mostly for the individuals infected with HIV.  He further said that the next step should involve manufacturing improvements so that sufficient amount of mycobacterium vaccae (MV) vaccine can be produced for further studies and possibly for patient’s use.

HIV/AIDS is already a gravely serious health condition and could be worsened with an existing tuberculosis infection.  A huge difference between TB infections on a person with no HIV as compared to an HIV infected person.  It is worth mentioning that tuberculosis is difficult to diagnose among HIV infected individuals.  In addition, TB infection progresses faster and is most likely to be fatal when left undiagnosed and untreated on HIV positive people.  It is even more distressing how TB infection among people on advanced stages of HIV are said to be of greater risk of being contagious or infectious 800 times more as compared to those persons without HIV infection.

Tuberculosis is a killer for HIV positive people and upon discovery of the MV vaccine a flicker of hope has entered among the HIV infected individuals’ life.  Although this is a very positive discovery, further studies are still imperative to establish a more enhanced and concrete outcome.  Hopefully, this finding may encourage researchers to determine vaccines for other HIV related opportunistic infections as well.  However, this is still one defining moment for an HIV infected person who may have qualms over possible threatening opportunistic infections such as one deadly illness called tuberculosis.

Since individuals with new HIV infection have high risk of contracting TB immediately, the researchers of the study advised that MV vaccine must first be given before starting antiretroviral drugs (drugs that fight HIV infection).

REFERENCES:

http://www.topnews.in/health/new-vaccine-could-prevent-tb-patients-hiv-infection-25968

http://www.avert.org/tuberculosis.htm

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