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CNN Live At Daybreak

Ask CNN: Why is the Cure for AIDS Taking This Long?

Aired June 25, 2001 - 07:51   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.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNOUNCER: A CNN viewer wants to know: Why is the cure of HIV/AIDS taking this long?

DR. ROBERT GALLO, DIR., INSTITUTE OF HUMAN VIROLOGY, UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND: There have been people outside the field of AIDS research who have said that the fastest pace in scientific history, from the start of a new disease, was the period between 1983 and 1985 of research on AIDS. It was incredible. It was almost exhilarating to scientists of how many advances occurred in only a few years time.

But then there was a plateau for a while, as the questions became more complicated. There were some major advances in 1995, 1996. And now we face the last hurdles: getting rid of the virus and curing the disease for people who are infected. We probably know more about the virus HIV than we know about any microbe. We probably know as much about AIDS as we know about any human disease. We're really at the last stretch.

But no one in the world, no scientist can predict when we'll have a perfect cure and when we'll have the vaccine that will prevent against infection.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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