The present invention provides genetic vaccines and methods for enhancing the immunity of a host, such as a human, against one or more pathogens. In one embodiment, a recombinant benign virus is provided as a genetic vaccine. The recombinant virus contains: an antigenic sequence heterologous to the recombinant virus, which encodes a viral antigen from the pathogenic virus. When the host is infected by the recombinant virus, the expression of the viral antigen causes the viral antigen to be directed to and in the host. an immune response in cells expressing the viral antigen; and an immunostimulator sequence heterologous to said recombinant virus, said immunostimulator sequence encoding an immune stimulator whose expression in the host increases the viral The immunogenicity of the antigen. The recombinant virus is replication incompetent and does not cause malignancies in the host that are naturally associated with the pathogenic virus. The genetic vaccine can be used to confer immunity to the host against many pathogens such as HIV, Ebola virus, hepatitis B virus, hepatitis C virus, influenza virus, pathogenic bacteria and parasites.