HIV vaccine trials: will intravenous drug users enroll?

FRANÇAIS :
240 toxicomanes intraveineux sous traitement à la méthadone ont rempli un questionnaire concernant les comportements à risques, l'intérêt des essais de vaccin contre le VIH et d'autres informations concernant ces vaccins. 52% des sujets prétendent vouloir être les premiers à participer à un essai de vaccination, 22% des sujets affirment vouloir augmenter le partage des seringues s'ils sont vaccinés, 30% disent ne pas savoir ce qu'est un vaccin. Face à ces résultats, les auteurs pensent qu'il est préférable d'informer d'abord ces populations sur les vaccins avant de leur proposer des protocoles d'essais.
ENGLISH :
240 intravenous drug users in methadone treatment completed a battery of self-administered questionnaires assessing risk behaviors, interest in vaccine trials, and other vaccine-related information. Fifty-two percent of the subjects expressed a willingness to be one of the first individuals to participate in a preventive HIV vaccine efficacy trial. Subjects who had recently shared needles or works and subjects who trusted the government to ensure vaccine safety were both twice as likely to report interest in participation. Twenty-two percent of subjects reported that they would increase needle sharing if vaccinated. Thirty percent did not know what a vaccine was. These findings suggest that some in-treatment intravenous drug users would volunteer for a preventive HIV vaccine efficacy trial. Education and counseling will be required to ensure that subjects fully understand the trial's purposes, methods, risks and benefits. (Extract from authors' abstract)