There is a drastic need to spread the awareness about AIDS amongst the illiterate and rural people of the country. Considering the spread of the disease, it would be a blessing for the society if some vaccine can be developed for the adults to save them from the disease. A recent workshop organized by International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) on `Working together for an aids vaccine in India--A partnership of science and society' at Pune emphasized the importance social support for the initiatives in this direction.

IAVI is the organization with whom ICMR and Government of India has signed MOU in December 2000, to accelerate the efforts to develop AIDS vaccine to suit the Indian population.

The meeting stressed on the need of the participation of the community and the strong will of the politicians in the development process of the AIDS vaccine. Speaking on the occasion Sanjay Sawant, project director, Maharashtra AIDS Control Society, said, ``The objective of the meeting is to enhance understanding about the development of an AIDS vaccine in India and to mobilize support from civil society and build consensus on issues related to vaccine development and deployment.''

Presenting the data on the willingness amongst the people to participate in the clinical trails of the vaccine, Dr. Seema Sahay, senior research officer, NARI said there are around 41 per cent of the people who are willing to participate in the vaccine trials but there are 71 per cent people who wish to participate in the trials only if the safety of the vaccine is assured.

Dr. Shekhar Chakrabarti, senior deputy director, National Institute of Cholera and Enteric Diseases, Kolkata, said that the community resistance had delayed biomedical research and hence he stressed on the need of the community participation in the development process of the AIDS vaccine. He also stressed on the need of the involvement of the Indian researchers in the development of the AIDS vaccine so that it suits the need of the Indian people. Dr. Chakrabarti along with NARI has developed the AIDS vaccine, which is undergoing pre-clinical trails at NARI, Pune.

Dr. Jean Louis, director of medical affairs, IAVI spoke on the lessons to be learnt from the failure of the VAXGen AIDS vaccine trials in North America and Europe. He also stressed on the need of political and community participation for the successful development of the AIDS vaccine.

Dr. Subhdra Menon, co-ordinator, IAVI disclosed that IAVI has planned a series of such meetings in the six high prevalence states of India viz. Karnataka, Maharshtra, Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur. The meeting would address ethical concern associated with clinical trails of the vaccine and it would also estimate the willingness of the low risk and at risk population to participate in the vaccine trials.