The subject is incurable sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and ways of preventing them in the population. The two incurable STDs are herpes and AIDS, the one a chronic complaint and the other a syndrome reducing the ability of the body to resist disease and leading to death. The need is to persuade people to take immediate steps to prevent the spread of these diseases, which are preventable using certain techniques and making certain changes in behavior. What is needed is increased spending to promote these behavior changes and to educate more people about the problems associated with certain risky sexual behaviors.
One form of preventive measure undertaken for other diseases is immunization, but there is no immunization protocol for either of these diseases at this time. However, there is research attempting to develop such a means of prevention, though it may be years before any progress is seen.
A study submitted in 1998 addressed a new way of immunizing for Herpes simplex, with some hope that a useful vaccine could be developed in time. This was an evaluation of the potential of Herpes simplex virus type 1 immunostimulating complexes (HSV 1 ISCOMs), compared with that of an HSV 1 subunit preparation, in terms of their ability to promote antibody responses and protection against primary HSV 1 infection induced by live HSV 1 challenge in a mouse model when used by means of combined inoculation routes. The results of this study indicated that HSV 1 ISCOMs given subcutaneously produce relatively high immune responses and protection against challenge virus infection, while immunization by the oral route was associated with significantly lower antibody responses and less protection.
Funding for such research has recently been increased with the announcement by Daniel Zimmerman of Cel Sci Corporation of Alexandria, Virginia concerning the receipt of a phase I $100,000 research grant to fund further animal studies ...