By MONICA KAYOMBO in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
THE global fight against HIV has reached a critical stage, with scientists expressing optimism that decades of research are bringing the world closer to developing an effective HIV vaccine capable of ending the epidemic.
This message emerged strongly at the 26th International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2026), being held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, during the round table meeting for journalists under the topic “Reimagining HIV Prevention, Care and Cure: Science, Solidarity and Human Rights.”
During the exclusive interview with me after the round table meeting with journalists covering the conference, leading HIV vaccine researcher Dr Vincent Muturi-Kioi of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) said although remarkable progress has been made in reducing HIV infections, treatment alone will not end the epidemic.
“The goal is not to control the epidemic. The goal is to eliminate the epidemic,” Dr Muturi-Kioi said.
He explained that annual new HIV infections have fallen dramatically from about 2.5 million in 2004 to approximately 1.2 million today.
He said the new development is in view of the expanded access to HIV treatment, prevention services and public health interventions.
However, he stressed that more than one million new infections every year remain far too many.
“We believe a vaccine will be necessary to continue that progress, to take us from where we are with 1.2 million new infections every year towards zero, where HIV can no longer threaten public health,” he said.
Dr Muturi-Kioi said researchers are now using cutting-edge technologies, including mRNA vaccine platforms, to speed up vaccine development.
According to him, mRNA technology enables scientists to design, manufacture and improve vaccine candidates much faster and at lower cost than traditional approaches.
“We think this technology will help us get to an HIV vaccine much faster,” he said.
Scientists are also developing vaccines capable of overcoming one of HIV’s biggest challenges and its ability to mutate rapidly.
Instead of targeting parts of the virus that frequently change, researchers are designing vaccines that stimulate the immune system to attack parts of HIV that remain largely unchanged.
Dr Muturi-Kioi said scientists hope these vaccines will generate broadly neutralising antibodies, capable of recognising and blocking multiple HIV strains circulating around the world, while also producing strong T-cell immune responses that destroy infected cells.
The approach is expected to move vaccine development beyond the traditional “One-size-fits-all” model and produce vaccines that can protect people globally, regardless of the HIV subtype circulating in their region.
Another promising scientific breakthrough discussed at the conference is germline targeting, an innovative strategy that trains the immune system from its earliest stages to produce the rare antibodies needed to neutralise HIV.
Researchers believe this could represent one of the most significant turning points in the decades-long search for an HIV vaccine.
Dr Muturi-Kioi also highlighted Africa’s growing leadership in HIV vaccine research.
He said African scientists, clinicians and research institutions are no longer merely participating in international studies but are leading major clinical trials and laboratory research.
Currently, two major HIV vaccine trials are underway in South Africa and Zimbabwe, with African laboratories conducting much of the sophisticated testing needed to determine whether the vaccines are working.
“African scientists are playing a very big role,” he said, describing the work as part of a global scientific partnership.
The progress is particularly important for African countries such as Zambia, where HIV continues to place a heavy burden on communities and health systems despite significant gains in treatment and prevention.
A safe and effective HIV vaccine would dramatically reduce new infections, lower long-term treatment costs and accelerate efforts to end AIDS as a public health threat.
The discussions at AIDS 2026 reinforced that while antiretroviral therapy has transformed HIV from a fatal disease into a manageable chronic condition, the world will ultimately need an effective vaccine to eliminate new infections.
For journalists covering the conference, the message from scientists is clear: after more than four decades of HIV research, science is entering one of its most promising eras, with advances in mRNA technology, broadly neutralising antibodies and African-led research offering renewed hope that an HIV vaccine is no longer a distant dream but an achievable global goal.
