On February 3, 2020, Julie Steenhuysen of Reuters reported that NIAID had suddenly halted its clinical trial of its most promising HIV vaccine to date. NIAID was in the middle of Phase 3 trials on more than 5,000 South Africans when they realized that once again, the vaccine was raising the risk of AIDS in vaccinated individuals. Dr. Fauci issued another of his cheerful prognostications: “Research continues on other approaches to a safe and effective HIV vaccine, which I still believe can be achieved.”

