Thousands of scientists, politicans and advocates descended on Washigton DC this week for the first International AIDS conference to be held on American soil in over 20 years.
Notable atendees included US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, super gay Elton John and Timothy Ray Brown, better known as the first person ever to be cured of AIDS.
In an interview with CBC, Dr. Evan Wood, lead researcher with the BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, said with proper funding the end of AIDS is an attainable goal.
Wood emphasized that the funds global governments spend waging the war on drugs, be better spent.
"One of the messages coming out of the conference is how putting energy into drug law enforcement and engaging in this cat and mouse game with drug addicts really contributes to the spread of HIV and does not reduce availability or use of drugs," Wood told CBC.
Wood estimates each AIDS patient costs Canadian taxpayers $500,000 in medical costs.
As for the situation south of the border, Clinton vowed that America will not back down in their fight against the disease.
"We are all here today because we want to bring about that moment where we stop adding names, when we can come to a gathering like this one and not talk about the fight against AIDS but instead commerate the birth of a generation that is free of AIDS," Clinton said.
Clinton's AIDS-free generation would see no child born with HIV; children, teens and adults being at a significantly lower risk of contracting the virus than they are now and treating people who do contract the virus promptly to stop its progression into AIDS.
Part of Clinton's vision also includes a sweeping circumcisions of baby boys; something I know several gay men would be against.
Brown, the "cured" man also known as the "Berlin patient," adressed the conference Tuesday saying his doctors have told him he is "cured of AIDS and will remain cured."
An HIV-positive American living in Germany, Brown developed leukemia and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2007. German doctors located a donor with marrow that had a rare genetic mutation that disables a receptor known as CCR5, which HIV needs to enter immune cells. After two transplants, his leukemia went into remission and doctors delcared him "cured" of HIV.
American researchers say they found traces of HIV in Brown's tissues but Brown maintains any remnants of the virus are dead and will not replicate.
From red and white blood cells, now back to the red and white flag, high profile Canadian AIDS experts are calling on federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq to endorse the conference's plan to end AIDS. Aglukkaq says she will consider it.
A Youtube video has surfaced showing Dr. Philip Berger attempting to question Aglukkaq at the conference about another pressing health issue, cuts to refugee health benefits. In the video Aglukkaq tells Berger to "do more research." Watch the unconfortable exchange below.
The International AIDS Conference wraps up July 27.
