CONTRARY to earlier reports that Nigeria could be one of the first African countries to benefit from the new protective HIV vaccine, Colonel Micheal Nelson, a scientist and one of the discoverers, would only be visiting the country on October 12 to shed light on the development of the vaccine.

Revelations show that while Nelson, who will be attending a symposium in Abuja on October 12, is expected to present a keynote address that would educate and inform the world in general about the discovery and potential of the new vaccine, neither Nigeria nor any other country has been earmarked for trial of the vaccine.

The new vaccine, which is still under development, works by stimulating the immune system. Scientists say it could cut down the risk of developing AIDS by one third, offering even better protection. A combination of two previous treatments which had proved ineffective when used alone, the vaccine was tested on 8,000 HIV negative male and female volunteers aged 18 to 30 in Thailand.

The breakthrough — funded by the US Military HIV Research Program and the Thai Ministry of Public Health — is regarded as a first step towards an effective vaccine against AIDS, which kills two million people a year.