Further information

The AIDS pandemic has claimed the lives of nearly 40 million people. Another 35 million are living with HIV. Scientists around the world however are getting closer to creating a vaccine that could prevent or eliminate the infection. In this program, we go to the forefront of the war against AIDS. The search for an HIV vaccine begins at a very unlikely place. An amateur drag queen festival in Barcelona provides local anti-AIDS activists with an opportunity to get in touch with a community at risk. In the Spanish city, men who have sex with other men account for 81% of new HIV infections. Public campaigns bring people at risk to centers like BCN Checkpoint where they can get tested for HIV quickly and anonymously. Hundreds of regular visitors agreed to share their blood samples with researchers. For immunologists, this is an invaluable resource. Ferran Pujol, director of BCN Checkpoint explains how he became involved: "I was diagnosed with HIV in 1986 when no therapy was available. That was a shock. But it also motivated me to get actively involved with the search for a solution"...

Further reading

http://www.euronews.com/2014/11/24/turning-the-tide-in-the-war-against-aids/