CANADA: THE GLOBAL CONFERENCE IN CANADA ENDS WITH HOPE OF A NEW DRUG TREATMENT WHICH MAY BE A CURE FOR AIDS

Record ID: 639671

  • Title: CANADA: THE GLOBAL CONFERENCE IN CANADA ENDS WITH HOPE OF A NEW DRUG TREATMENT WHICH MAY BE A CURE FOR AIDS
  • Date: 11th July 1996
  • Summary: VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA (JULY 11, 1996) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) 1. GV VIEW OF CLOSING CEREMONY 0.05 2. UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY GENERAL BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 0.44 3. SLV CANADIAN AIDS ACTIVIST RAISING FLAG ON STAGE 0.52 4. SLV MICHAEL WORTMAN, AIDS PATIENT, ENTERING STAGE IN WHEELCHAIR 1.02 5. MV WORTMAN SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 1.04 6. MV DAVID COOPER, PRESIDENT OF THE INTERNATIONAL AIDS SOCIETY, SPEAKING AT PODIUM 1.46 7. AUDIENCE LISTENING 1.49 8. COOPER SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 9. GV COOPER ADDRESSING CONFERENCE 2.31 10. MV SUZANA MURNI, AN HIV-POSITIVE WOMAN FROM INDONESIA, AT THE PODIUM 2.37 11. MV MURNI RESPONDING TO COOPER'S STATEMENT SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 3.32 12. DR. MARTIN SCHECTER, CONFERENCE CO-CHAIR SPEAKING AT PODIUM 3.38 13. MV SCHECTER SPEAKING (ENGLISH) 4.10 14. GV CONFERENCE FLOOR, AUDIENCE CLAPPING 4.23 TRANSCRIPT SEQ 2 BOUTROS-GHALI "PROGRESS IS BEING MADE IN THE BATTLE AGAINST AIDS. GOVERNMENTS MUST REMAIN COMMITTED AND VICTORY WILL EVENTUALLY BE ACHIEVED." TRANSCRIPT SEQ 5 WORTMAN "HELLO MY NAME IS MICHAEL WORTMAN. PERHAPS CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER JEAN CHRETIEN IS SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME IN THE SUN, SO WE'RE SENDING HIM SUNSCREEN (HOLDS UP SUNSCREEN). WE HOPE HE GETS BACK TO THE JOB AND TACKLES THE RENEWAL OF CANADA'S NATIONAL AIDS STRATEGY." TRANSCRIPT SEQ 8. COOPER "THIS WEEK HAS DEMONSTRATED THE QUALIFIED ENTHUSIASM FOR COMBINATION THERAPY IS LEGITIMATE BECAUSE IN THIS IMPERFECT WORLD WE SEEM AT LEAST TO HAVE A WAY FORWARD THROUGH COOPERATION BETWEEN SCIENTISTS, NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS AND PERSONS WITH AIDS." TRANSCRIPT SEQ 11 MURNI "THE POSSIBILITY OF MAKING SECOND RATE DRUGS AVAILABLE FOR STUDY IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES I FOUND INSULTING. PEOPLE WITH HIV AND AIDS, PEOPLE IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES ARE NOT GUINEA PIGS, WHAT'S APPLIED TO THE DEVELOPED WORLD, SHOULD ALSO BE APPLIED TO THE DEVELOPING WORLD." TRANSCRIPT SEQ 13 SCHECTER "THE DOOM AND GLOOM HAS BEEN LIFTED, MANY CHALLENGES LIE AHEAD, I URGE THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY TO RENEW COMMITMENTS TO GET THE JOB DONE." Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
  • Embargoed: 26th July 1996 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: VANCOUVER, CANADA
  • Reuters ID: LVAEOQHNOSKD79UXC9X6W3ATZAKO
  • Story Text: INTRO: AIDS researchers have ended a global conference in Canada hoping a new drug treatment might help cure the deadly disease.

    AIDS researchers ended a global conference on in Vancouver on Thursday (July 11), holding out hope that powerful new drug treatments might offer a cure for the deadly disease that has infected 28 million people.

    Dispelling more than a decade of despair, elated researchers presented evidence at the 11th International Conference on AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome) this week that potent drug "cocktails," including new medicines called protease inhibitors, can get the virus down to undetectable levels in the bloodstream.

    "We've turned a page and opened a new chapter in the history of the pandemic," said Dr. Martin Schechter, co-chair of the conference. "Many things we once thought were impossible are now within the realm of the achievable." At the closing ceremony, United Nations (U.N.) secretary general Boutros Boutros -Ghali said progress was being made in the battle against AIDS.

    "Governments must remain committed and victory will eventually be achieved," he said.

    David Cooper, president of the International AIDS society, told the conference that the way forward was through cooperation between scientists, non-governmental organisations and people afflicted with the disease.

    But Suzana Murni, an Indonesian woman afflicted with the disease, said people with AIDS in Third World countries should not be made "guinea pigs" to test experimental drugs to cure the disease.

    She said developing countries should have access to the same drugs as those in the western countries.

    Dr. Schecter said many challenges lay ahead, and urged the global community to work together to beat the disease.


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