Few COVID-19 vaccines may increase risk of HIV infections: Researchers

As the world is waiting for a COVID-19 vaccine to be launched soon, some scientists have revealed a startling discovery claiming that the vaccines might increase the risk ofHIV.

A group of researchers published a report in TheLancet medical journal and claimed that the vaccines in developmental stage may increase the risk of acquiring HIV in the people who use the vaccine.

This statement has been backed by a“cautionary tale” from over a decade ago when a vaccine candidate had risk increased the risk of men, specifically, catching the virus. That vaccine had used a modified virus calledadenovirus 5 (Ad5).

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Scientists have been suggested to not use this modified virus in vaccines since then. The paper that voted against any further use of this vaccine was led by US' main man on coronavirus task force, Dr. Anthony Fauci.

However, it has been observed thatAd5 has been used as a vector in some of the COVID-19 vaccines. The journal Science has identified four such vaccine candidates all around the world who have mentioned the use of Ad5 in their vaccines. These vaccines are in clinical trial phases, with one being in the US andtwo in large scale phase 3 trials in Russia and Pakistan.

The researchers of this new study have urged scientists and volunteers to pay more attention to the use of Ad5. People participating in the trial and the consumers of the vaccine should understand that increasing risk of HIV, and the developers of the vaccine should also provide“considerable literature" on the risk of HIV along with consent forms, the researchers said.

The authors have now made their report public as they fear the use of vaccine in areas with high HIV prevalence.“I don’t see why I would pick an Ad5 vector (vaccine) when there are many other alternative choices,"Lawrence Corey, one of the authors told Science.