Fauci at the UN

Written byBob Grant

| 2 min read

linkurl:Anthony Fauci,;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/13734/ director of the NIH's National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), addressed the United Nations General Assembly in New York City today (Jun 10), telling delegates and dignitaries that the key to controlling HIV/AIDS in developing nations is prevention, and especially the development of linkurl:vaccine;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/54655/ for the disease. Fauci said that "a preventive HIV vaccine remains the greatest hope for halting the relentless spread of HIV/AIDS," during his address, which was linkurl:webcast;http://www.un.org/webcast/# on the UN's website. "HIV has proven to be very different from those viruses for which we have developed effective immunizations. We must solve the mystery of how to prompt the human body to produce a protective immune response against HIV, something that natural infection with the virus seems unable to do." Fauci was speaking to the Assembly during a special linkurl:High-level Meeting on AIDS,;http://www.un.org/ga/aidsmeeting2008/ where delegates gathered to hear progress reports from the global fight against HIV/AIDS. During his speech, Fauci alluded to the linkurl:failed Merck HIV vaccine trials.;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/53633/ "The past year was disappointing in the search for a safe and effective HIV vaccine. The top candidate proved to be ineffective when clinically tested," he said. "Historically, it has taken decades to find effective vaccines to combat most infectious diseases. Researchers usually experienced numerous setbacks and disappointments before reaching success; yet they persevered. Finding a safe and effective HIV vaccine demands an equally intense resolve, even as treatment and nonvaccine prevention efforts are ramped up." Of particular interest to me was Fauci's focus on problems with linkurl:implementing;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/54367/ the latest research and/or care in developing nations, where the epidemic rages most forcefully. "As is the case with most diseases, the developed world benefited first and foremost from the fruits of AIDS research, and the 'implementation gap' between biomedical research discoveries and the delivery of these advances to those who need them most, particularly people in the developing world, was most dramatic in the provision of anti-HIV drugs," he said, adding that several international programs have worked to bridge that gap. You can watch Fauci speak at a 12:30 PM EST press conference before the UN General Assembly via webcast linkurl:here.;http://www.un.org/webcast/# The AIDS meeting will continue tomorrow, when delegates will hear about efforts to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission and gender equity in AIDS treatment, among other topics.

Meet the Author

Bob Grant

From 2017 to 2022, Bob Grant was Editor in Chief of The Scientist, where he started in 2007 as a Staff Writer. Before joining the team, he worked as a reporter at Audubon and earned a master’s degree in science journalism from New York University. In his previous life, he pursued a career in science, getting a bachelor’s degree in wildlife biology from Montana State University and a master’s degree in marine biology from the College of Charleston in South Carolina. Bob edited Reading Frames and other sections of the magazine.

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