Is a vaccine against AIDS possible?

The need to control the spread of human immunodeficiency viruses (HIVs) is unquestioned. Options for interference in the replicative cycle of HIV have been reviewed by Mitsuya and Broder. It is possible to propose antiviral agents which would be active at each stage of the cycle, but early experience suggests that highly selective antiviral agents which are free from side effects will not be easy to design and indeed random screening of existing medicinals may prove as rewarding. The natural history of HIV infection would suggest that vaccination is a strategy which requires urgent and exhaustive investigation.