Did the end of smallpox vaccination cause the explosive spread of HIV?

Monday, May 17, 2010 - 18:01 in Health & Medicine

Vaccinia immunization, as given to prevent the spread of smallpox, produces a five-fold reduction in HIV replication in the laboratory. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Immunology suggest that the end of smallpox vaccination in the mid-20th century may have caused a loss of protection that contributed to the rapid contemporary spread of HIV.

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