Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Live At Daybreak

Final Days of International AIDS Conference in Barcelona

Aired July 10, 2002 - 05:16   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: The final days of the international AIDS conference in Barcelona, Spain. Yesterday, noisy protesters shouted down Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

CNN medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta has details.

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We're more than half way done with the 14th International AIDS Conference here in Barcelona, Spain. So far, it's been a conference that's been short on breakthroughs and long on controversy.

We saw the secretary of health, the United States secretary of health go to the podium yesterday to reaffirm the United States' commitment to global AIDS. He was met with protesters, protesters carrying whistles, protesters carrying placards. These placards read such remarkable things as "Wanted -- Bush and Thompson, For the Murder and Neglect of Persons with AIDS."

The secretary of health was forced to stand by sternly as these protesters literally took over the podium for about 15 minutes. He then delivered a largely inaudible speech for about 10 minutes after that.

We had a chance to catch up with him afterwards, where he again reaffirmed the United States' commitment and urged the activists to point their guns, quite literally, in a different way.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TOMMY THOMPSON, U.S. HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: I understand that people are passionate about this and I understand that they want to blame the United States. But the United States under President Bush in the last 18 months has doubled the amount of resources to the global fund, has been able to double the amount of money in the international AIDS fight and we're going to continue to do that.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GUPTA: Just to put it in perspective, the United States has pledged $500 million over the next two years to the Global Fund, a fund set up to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. Put that into perspective with Norway, Rwanda, countries that are giving far more per citizen than the United States, and that has the activists up in arms.

We have heard some rays of optimism here at the conference in the form of vaccines and new medications. The most notable vaccine, the Thai (ph) vaccine trial, which definitely has experts very optimistic. This vaccine trial is set to begin later on this year, will conclude in five to six years, and it is taking place in Thailand and is supposed to actually work on all parts of the immune system, which is the part that has the scientists particularly excited.

We also are going to hear over the next couple of days about things like AIDS orphans. Right now standing about 14 million AIDS orphans around the world. That number expected to increase to 40 million by the year 2010 and that is something researchers and experts are focusing their attention on, as well.

AIDS is a global epidemic. Forty million around the world now have it. Twenty million have already died. Seventy million are expected to die over the next 20 years. That is the focus of this conference. That is what the researchers are focused on and that is what we'll continue to hear more about over the next few days.

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, CNN, Barcelona, Spain.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com