Racist Medicine

[midnight Target]

A new AIDS vaccine has been tested and failed miserably.. except for one thing.

It worked pretty well on Africans and Asians.

Go figure?

[batdog]

Errr huh? Dont get it... unless those indiv tend to have a different strain of the virus than others?


Or is this a subtle troll that I have fallen for.

[Saurdaukar]

Works on blacks and orientals... but not caucasions?  Weird.  

[Dowding]

1 in 9 South Africans is HIV+.

A UN report recently put AIDS at 'Genocidal' levels in parts of Africa.

[Fridaddy]

I could see this happining. We must all realize that there are subtle medical difftences between the races. I only need to point out medical conditions such as Tay-Sacs (primarily affects Jews) or the fact that black men have three times the Hypertension rate than white men to remind everyone of this.

Its not racist, its just real.

But it a start.

[Kirin]

The fact that a vaccine has different succes rates between different ethnological populations is not as weird as one would think.

All diseases (also infections and carcinoma) are under genetical influences. Some populations have natural immunity to certain diseases whereas other population do not react on certain treatements.

Beside the fact that the HI virus (as all other virus) comes in different mutations the developement of the disease depends greatly on the interaction between the host and the virus. A vaccination depends on how a individual reacts on it (mostly particles of the virus, or attenuated whole viruses) - I do not know how that particular vaccination works but it might depend on some factors that are better represented in named races.

Another factor might be the high infection rate in said areas. As we single out resistent bacteria with wrong antibiotic treatement nature maybe has already "produced" a human population that has built better defense mechanisms against HIV. For example a certain form of anaemia is spread widely over the african continent because it makes the carrier of that genetical disease resistent to Malaria.

I do not completely understand what Midnight is trying to point out... maybe the political effect of that study?

[Eagler]

makes you wonder though if JJ would be screaming if it worked the other way around ....

[midnight Target]

Not trying to point out anything. Just a fun way to get you all to read the post.

I wonder though. Africa is probably the most lucrative point of sale for an AIDS vaccine. Is it possible that the results have been skewed to make this more marketable in Africa?

[bounder]

I would imagine that if a new vaccine works better on asians and africans than it does on caucasians, it is because it is enhancing the immune systems of genotypes more resistant to AIDS.

But seriously, this vaccine has been tested in humans?

Because the only way I know of testing a vaccine in humans is to vaccinate them and then attempt to infect them.

Volunteers?

[Dead Man Flying]

Originally posted by bounder
Because the only way I know of testing a vaccine in humans is to vaccinate them and then attempt to infect them.

Um, you don't need to infect them.  You only need to find a large, sexually active sample group, vaccinate them, and then check for infection at the end of the trial period.  

We know infection rates among the general population and among groups at risk, so if the rate of infection among the sample is significantly higher or lower than that of the general population, it'll say something about the effectiveness of the vaccine.

EDIT: Also keep in mind the control group.  If you randomly distribute your human subjects into a vaccine group and a placebo group, you can test difference in infection rates between the two groups.  As selection to each group would occur randomly, we expect that, should the vaccine be ineffective, rates of infection between the two groups would be nearly the same.

-- Todd/Leviathn

[AKIron]

Originally posted by midnight Target
Not trying to point out anything. Just a fun way to get you all to read the post.

I wonder though. Africa is probably the most lucrative point of sale for an AIDS vaccine. Is is possible that the results have been skewed to make this more marketable in Africa?

You're kidding right? Chances are the US will give most of it away to Africa. Or maybe you're suggesting the pharmaceutical companies will sell it to the US governement which will then give it away? Even though that is a likely scenario the governement will probably demand and get just above development cost pricing.

[john9001]

Originally posted by midnight Target
and failed miserably..............

It worked pretty well  

huh??

[Suave]

Evolution, I get to use the E word again

 Turns out that HIV infects the body much the same way that the bubonic plague does. Sooo, those among us who have ancestors that survived the plague have an immunological resistance to HIV .

Saw it on nova .

[Eagler]

Originally posted by Suave
Evolution, I get to use the E word again

 Turns out that HIV infects the body much the same way that the bubonic plague does. Sooo, those among us who have ancestors that survived the plague have an immunological resistance to HIV .

Saw it on nova .

and our chances increase if we are not turd burglers or have sex with needle using drug addicts ... or monkeys

[miko2d]

That is impossible. The race is an artificial concept - there is no genetic difference between the so called "races". There is much more variation withing the "race" than between the "race" averages, etc., etc.

 Only a racist would think otherwise, right?

 miko