Question

How is HIV different than the flu virus? Why can we make vaccines for some viruses but not all?

Answer 1

Ans) HIV kills or damages cells in your body's immune system, making it more difficult to fight infections like the flu virus. This means you're more likely to get complications like pneumonia from the flu. And that can raise the odds that you'll wind up in the hospital with heart- and lung-related problems.

- Researchers have been working on an HIV vaccine since the 1980s, but progress towards an effective vaccine has been much slower than anticipated.
Finding at least a partially effective vaccine remains of critical importance for the HIV response.
The biggest reduction in new infections would be achieved by a combination of PrEP, universal antiretroviral treatment for people already living with HIV, and a vaccine.
An HIV vaccine is a more realistic prospect today than a decade ago and an optimistic forecast of HIV vaccine availability is that one might be available by 2030.

- The way viruses reproduce in their host cells makes them particularly susceptible to the genetic changes that help to drive their evolution. The RNA viruses are especially prone to mutations. In host cells there are mechanisms for correcting mistakes when DNA replicates and these kick in whenever cells divide.

- The immune response to influenza (flu) vaccine in HIV-infected patients, and 2) the effect of flu vaccine on HIV viral loads. Earlier studies have shown that people with HIV infection do not respond as well to flu vaccine as healthy subjects; that is, they don't make as many antibodies in response to the vaccine. Also, studies done before the use of HAART (highly active antiretroviral treatment) have shown that HIV levels increase for a period of time after flu vaccination. One small study showed a small brief increase in HIV even in patients taking HAART. The current trial will examine whether the flu vaccine does, in fact, cause an elevation in viral load and whether this increase is harmful or indicates a better response to the vaccine.