[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 73 (Thursday, May 15, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E970]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 RECOGNIZING HIV VACCINE AWARENESS DAY

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                        HON. MICHAEL E. CAPUANO

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 15, 2003

  Mr. CAPUANO. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the sixth annual 
HIV Vaccine Awareness Day. As we all know, HIV/AIDS is the deadliest 
epidemic in medical history. Twenty million people globally have died 
and another 40 million are infected. Significant advances have been 
made in the treatment of HIV/AIDS, however the number of lives lost is 
a clear indication that much more must be done. The development of an 
effective vaccine to prevent HIV remains science's greatest hope in 
halting the epidemic.
  The HIV Vaccine Trials Network (HVTN) is a network of clinical sites 
in the United States and abroad dedicated to the development of an HIV 
vaccine through testing and evaluating candidate vaccines in clinical 
trials. The network includes 18 sites in the United States and 11 
international sites, including those in Africa, Asia, South America and 
the Caribbean. Two of the domestic sites are located in my 
congressional district. Fenway Community Health Center and Brigham and 
Women's Hospital are members of the Harvard HIV Vaccine Trials Unit, 
under direction of the National Institutes of Health.
  As we commemorate the Sixth Annual HIV Vaccine Awareness Day, we 
honor the thousands of volunteers who have literally rolled up their 
sleeves to receive an experimental vaccine designed to prevent this 
disease. Without clinical trials of HIV vaccines and the support of 
these volunteers, community leaders, researchers and educators, HIV 
will continue to devastate communities throughout the United States and 
the world. Communities in my district and around the nation will hold a 
variety of activities today to raise awareness about preventive HIV 
vaccine trials, why a vaccine is the best hope for stopping the spread 
of HIV, and how ordinary people can be a part of the international 
effort to stem the pandemic. I urge my colleagues to participate in 
these events and learn more about the work being done to find a vaccine 
for HIV/AIDS.

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