Study on an HIV vaccine to start in S. Africa in late 2016

Scientists are planning a major study of an experimental HIV vaccine in South Africa later this year. The shots are based on the only attempted HIV vaccine ever to show even marginal effectiveness, in Thailand in 2009.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health said Wednesday that its study in South Africa will use shots modified for better protection.

Starting in November, 5,400 adult volunteers would receive five injections over a year, either vaccine or dummy shots. Results are expected in 2020.

In the 2009 Thai study, a two-vaccine combination cut the risk of HIV infection by 31 percent over 31/2 years, but it was more effective the first year. NIH said a small safety trial in South Africa found the new modified shots promising enough for expanded study.

Since the beginning of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, nearly 71 million people have been infected with the HIV virus and about 34 million people have died of it, according to the World Health Organization.

In the United States, more than 1.2 million people are living with HIV infection, but nearly 1 in 8 don't know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Associated Press