The world should stop waiting for a cure for AIDS and focus instead on exciting new developments in treatment and prevention, according to a top researcher who will address a major international HIV conference in Sydney this week.
"This is a hugely exciting time in the world of AIDS research," said Anthony Fauci, director of the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
"We've got incredibly potent treatments on the horizon, possible vaccines in the pipeline and new options for using these things in ways we haven't before. But as for a cure, let's just stop talking about it," added Fauci, who was speaking last week.
Fauci appeared as one of the keynote speakers at the Fourth International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Pathogenesis and Treatment, and said the virus' ability to integrate itself into the genetic makeup of human cells meant the disease was almost impossible to eliminate.
"You can stop it multiplying and keep someone quite well for many, many years," he said. "But so far we haven't even come close to truly eradicating it in anyone, and I think we should just stop talking about it."
More than 5,000 delegates from 130 countries are expected to attend the conference, where researchers will present their findings. The presentations include information on the benefits of circumcision for cutting HIV rates as well as the latest developments in antiretroviral drugs.
Conference participants will also be urged to sign a declaration aimed at raising more money for HIV research.
The so-called Sydney Declaration calls on national governments and bilateral, multilateral and private donors to allocate at least 10 percent of all HIV/AIDS-related funding to continued research.
"We believe that without such funding we will fail to maintain a sustained and effective response to the AIDS pandemic," the declaration says.
The conference organizers say this will help speed up the implementation of new drugs and technologies to prevent, diagnose and treat the infection.
Hundreds of protesters marched through the Mexican capital on Friday denouncing gentrification caused by foreigners, with some vandalizing businesses and shouting “gringos out!” The demonstration in the capital’s central area turned violent when hooded individuals smashed windows, damaged restaurant furniture and looted a clothing store. Mexico City Government Secretary Cesar Cravioto said 15 businesses and public facilities were damaged in what he called “xenophobic expressions” similar to what Mexican migrants have suffered in other countries. “We are a city of open arms... there are always ways to negotiate, to sit at the table,” Cravioto told Milenio television. Neighborhoods like Roma-Condesa
‘CONTINUE TO SERVE’: The 90-year-old Dalai Lama said he hoped to be able to continue serving ‘sentient beings and the Buddha Dharma’ for decades to come The Dalai Lama yesterday said he dreamed of living for decades more, as the Buddhist spiritual leader prayed with thousands of exiled Tibetans on the eve of his 90th birthday. Thumping drums and deep horns reverberated from the Indian hilltop temple, as a chanting chorus of red-robed monks and nuns offered long-life prayers for Tenzin Gyatso, who followers believe is the 14th reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Looking in good health, dressed in traditional maroon monk robes and a flowing yellow wrap, he led prayers — days after confirming that the 600-year-old Tibetan Buddhist institution would continue after his death. Many exiled Tibetans
Dozens of residents have evacuated remote islands in southern Japan that have been shaken by nearly 1,600 earthquakes in recent weeks, the local mayor said yesterday. There has been no major physical damage on hardest-hit Akuseki island, even after a magnitude 5.1 quake that struck overnight, said Toshima Mayor Genichiro Kubo, who is based on another island. However, the almost nonstop jolts since June 21 have caused severe stress to area residents, many of whom have been deprived of sleep. Of the 89 residents of Akuseki, 44 had evacuated to the regional hub of Kagoshima by Sunday, while 15 others also left another
CEREMONY EXPECTED: Abdullah Ocalan said he believes in the power of politics and social peace, not weapons, and called on the group to put that into practice The jailed leader of a Kurdish militant group yesterday renewed a call for his fighters to lay down their arms, days before a symbolic disarmament ceremony is expected to take place as a first concrete step in a peace process with the Turkish state. In a seven-minute video message broadcast on pro-Kurdish Medya Haber’s YouTube channel, Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), said that the peace initiative had reached a stage that required practical steps. “It should be considered natural for you to publicly ensure the disarmament of the relevant groups in a way that addresses the expectations