Health and advocacy groups combatting the spread of HIV/AIDS will officially observe the United Nations’ annual World AIDS Day tomorrow, but have been discussing its theme all week. Thanks to life-saving medications, called antiretrovirals, a global push is on to get to zero new infections, zero deaths and zero discrimination related to the spread of HIV/AIDS. 

Here are three SFU HIV/AIDS research experts available to discuss this:

Robert Hogg, an SFU health sciences researcher at the B.C. Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, can explain how B.C. has become the only province where HIV/AIDS diagnoses are consistently going down.

Robert Hogg, 604.377.8606 (cell), robert_hogg@sfu.ca

Ralph Pantophlet, an SFU assistant professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, can talk about why developing an effective vaccine against HIV/AIDS remains a challenge. Pantophlet is investigating antibody responses to HIV and other viruses. He says: “Researchers in this arena believe antibody neutralization will result in more than just incremental steps towards an HIV vaccine.

Ralph Pantophlet, 778.782.8648, rpantophlet@sfu.ca

Cari Miller, an SFU assistant professor of health sciences, says the world needs to remain vigilant about protecting human rights to help eliminate vulnerability to HIV/AIDS infection. Miller cites violence, rape and institutionalized poverty as examples of human rights violations and calls for policies that “uphold the rights of drug users and treat addiction as a medical and not a criminal issue.”

Cari Miller, 778.782.8652, 604.767.9307 (cell), cari_miller@sfu.ca