- Testing very young babies for HIV, and giving antiretroviral therapy (ART) immediately to those found infected with the virus, dramatically prevents illness and death, according to recent research funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID). The study found that giving ART to HIV-infected infants beginning at an average age of seven weeks made them four times less likely to die in the next 48 weeks when compared with postponing ART until signs of illness or a weakened immune system appear—the standard of care when the study began.
- Based on ongoing assessments of vaccine safety information, FDA and CDC continue to find that Gardasil is a safe and effective vaccine. This vaccine is an important cervical cancer prevention tool that will potentially benefit the health of millions of women. Every year, about 12,000 women are diagnosed with cervical cancer and almost 4,000 die from this disease in the United States. Worldwide, cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women, causing an estimated 470,000 new cases and 233,000 deaths per year.
NIH Research to Results
Fall 2008 Issue: Volume 3 Number 4 Page 20