Twelve years ago on May 18, 1997, during acommencement speech at Morgan State University, then-President Bill Clinton challenged researchers to come up with an AIDS vaccine within the following decade, stating that such a vaccine was the only way to “limit and eventually eliminate the threat of AIDS.” Twelve years later, the goal of an effective HIV vaccine remains unrealized, but the need for one remains urgent.

• AIDS is the number four killer in the world and number one in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Everyday, 7,500 people across the world become infected with HIV.

The virus is also ravaging the U.S., where African Americans in particular are affected more than other races and ethnicities.

• While blacks account for 13% of the U.S. population, they make up 50% of AIDS cases.
• Nearly 70% of all newly diagnosed HIV-positive women in the U.S. are black women, and AIDS is the leading cause of death for Black women ages 25 to 34.

Vaccines have altered the course of human history. They have eradicated smallpox from the planet and polio from most countries. More than 20 fatal diseases can now be prevented by vaccines. We must add AIDS to this list.

While antiretroviral drugs can prolong the lives of those who are infected, they are not cures, and because of their cost and logistical difficulties, they reach only a minority of those who need them. As with any major viral pandemic, a vaccine remains the best hope of ending, and not just mitigating, AIDS. The point of World AIDS Vaccine Day is to get communities worldwide to continue to support the development of an AIDS vaccine.