How much do you know about HIV vaccines right now? Take **this quiz** before reading this post.

In general, there is a lack of knowledge and misperceptions in many communities about HIV vaccine research and the part an effective vaccine could play in decreasing and/or eliminating the number of infections we see in the United States. The major implication of having an HIV vaccine is that it would prevent future generations from having to deal with HIV/AIDS, a disease that has touched the life of everyone on this Earth directly or indirectly, not to mention the costs associated with treating persons living with HIV/AIDS.

Unfortunately, HIV vaccine trial research has recently experienced a major setback. Read about the setback **here**.

HIV vaccine trial research has been in progress for many years, but researchers continue to have difficulty getting African Americans and Latinos into trials. Of course there is a history of the medical community abusing racial minority groups in research and science. Though this history cannot be erased, it has led to the government implementing very strict procedures that all medical research must go through before humans can be involved and this is also the case with HIV vaccine trials.

It’s important that African Americans and Latinos participate in HIV vaccine trials because vaccines may perform differently in different races based on genetics. In order to find a vaccine that works across the board, adequate numbers of persons from all racial groups are needed to participate. Below is a video about HIV vaccine research and why it’s important for racial minorities to also be involved if we have any chance of finding an effective vaccine.

To view frequently asked questions about HIV vaccines **click here**.

If you live in Philadelphia, **click here** to find HIV vaccine trial locations in our city.

**After learning more about HIV vaccines and their potential to prevent future infections and potentially eradicate HIV/AIDS, would you participate in a trial? Why or why not?**