New H.I.V. vulnerability could lead to vaccine

This month, South African researchers announced they may be on the way to finding a vaccine to end the spread of H.I.V., The New York Times reports.

The research, published on Oct. 20, found a weak link in the virus's outer shell that might present a target for a vaccine. The South African researchers also discovered what stage the weak link develops during infection.

The researchers found two woman who had the vulnerability, and it was not the same virus that had infected them, but a mutant that developed later.

The study was conducted by Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA) and lead by Dr. Salim Abdool Karim.