The Eagle published a commentary Thursday by Michael Gottlieb (in photo), the UCLA physician who first identified AIDS and published his findings 25 years ago this week. He wrote: “I find this week’s anniversary one of intense emotions: despair about the lives lost to the disease; frustration with the Bush administration’s promotion of abstinence over condoms for HIV prevention; anger at the denial, stigma and prejudice that still fuel the spread of HIV around the globe. But mixed in with those feelings is also pride in the remarkable medical progress we’ve made in HIV treatment.”
What’s needed during the next 25 years? Gottlieb wrote: “Minimizing the effect of another quarter-century of this plague hinges on our collective will to prevent new infections, find a vaccine and cure, and get lifesaving medicines to all who need them.”
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
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10 Comments
We are making great strides in combating AIDS. People look at what the President is doing or government, but they are only a drop in the bucket compared to the many millions of average people who worked hard in getting the attention of almost everybody to help chip in to battle this disease.
AIDS was basically ignored in the first ten years of its discovery, especially by the Reagan administraion and also how it was stigmitized. After going through names like GRIDS and SIDS it took a young hetrosexual middle class non-drug user to get the attention that anybody can contract it.
I was just a kid then, but I do remember Ryan White and that is the first time I was aware of HIV/AIDS.
Now the stigma is pretty much gone and people have contribute time and billions od dollars and made it one of the most sought after cures that still goes on today. Much like people did with the March of Dimes to finally getting a vaccine for polio.
People now can live normal lives with HIV and that is a tremendous effort.
I believe we can find a vaccine in the near future.
Well said, Joe. I applaud you.
For those who might be interested in the history of HIV and AIDS, I suggest you read or see the movie The Band Played On.
As one who has AIDS, I am happy that the stigma is subsiding. I am thankful for everyday I have.
Once again I disagree with you Joe. I have two relatives with HIV that I love very much, I can tell you that their lives are anything but normal. The terribly expensive meds that they have to take to stay alive make them sick and greatly reduce the quality of their lives.Everyday in Africa 8,000 people die from AIDS, that’s almost the same as 3 9/11s everyday, or a tsunami every month. We have a long way to go before things are looking up.
Damoon! It’s better than dead.
Many people have disabling diseases and have expensive medical needs, it’s just not limited to those with HIV.
What I mean about living a nomal life, is that most actually can do routine things like work at a job, go to the grocery store, be independent, have a family and so on.
It used to be that once infected you were basically bedridden within a year or two and you died shortly after that. Now you can live with the disease. That is what I meant by living a normal live.
You going to keep busting my chops because you have something against me? Sorry Damoon, but you are not going to win one over on me no matter how hard you try. Keep it up though!
Don’t they have drugs that suppress the virus by now!?
I don’t have a thing against you, I guess it’s just that “normal” is in the eye of the beholder. Much of the 3rd world will be gone in a few years because of this disease. Maybe it’s Mom Nature’s way of keeping the population under control, but all the death is sad and there are so many orphans left behind.
There are drugs that suprees the virus, but they have horrid side effects and are so expensive, it’s a real drain on anyone with the virus.
It’s “supress”, need to proof read before I post!
CruX,Yes, they have viral suppressants now, but they have severe side effects, cost more than a lot of people make, and at some point, lose effectiveness. Hardly a solution!