The HIV/AIDS community took a huge loss during the crash of Malaysia Airlines MH17. Of the 298 victims killed in the plane that was shot down over Ukrainian airspace, it was reported that about 100 were headed to the International AIDS Conference in Melbourne, Australia. Included in the number of activists, researchers and health workers lost were the top Dutch AIDS researcher and former International AIDS Society president, Joep Lange, spokesperson for the World Health Organization, Briton Glenn Thomas, and a former BBC journalist.
It is the sentiment of many that advances in the treatment of AIDS will be affected. According to federal president of the Australian Medical Association, Associate Professor Brian Owler, “The amount of knowledge that these people who died on the plane were carrying with them and the experiences they had developed will have a devastating impact on HIV research.” He added, “The amount of time it takes to get to a stage where you can come up with those ideas cannot be replaced in a short amount of time. So it does set back work for a cure and strategic prevention of HIV/AIDS very significantly.”
The International AIDS Society offered this statement of condolence: “At this incredibly sad and sensitive time the IAS stands with our international family and sends condolences to the loved ones of those who have been lost to this tragedy.”
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