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HIV/AIDS
vaccine trials and informed consent
HIVAN’s Sectoral Networker and researcher
Nicci Stanley, who also serves as Treasurer of
the South African Medical Research Council (MRC)
Vaccine Research Unit’s Community Advisory
Board (CAB), went to Seattle in the United States
of America in March this year to attend a meeting
of scientists working on the development of an
HIV/AIDS vaccine.
These HVTN (the HIV Vaccine Trial Network) researchers
rely heavily on the assistance of the representatives
of communities serving on the CAB to ensure that
all the vaccine trial-studies are protective of
the rights of the participants, and that those
who sign up for the trials fully understand the
processes and their role in the studies. The CAB
members also help in making sure that clear information
is provided to community participants and the
progress of the research and its effects on outreach
efforts are monitored.
“My particular focus during the meeting
in Seattle was on the issue of informed consent
on the part of community members,” explains
Nicci. “It was a gathering of scientists
working on HIV vaccine trials and the HVTN team
was very welcoming. They wanted to know what impacts
these trials would have on communities in South
Africa. I felt that there should be stronger emphasis
on the commitment of the HVTN to enable access
to treatment if participants were to become HIV-positive
during the trials as a result of their own behaviour.
The group agreed and the consent form is being
drawn up to explain this commitment.”
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