Gates Remains Among the Few in Philanthropy to Drive Research for an HIV Vaccine

This piece originally appeared in Inside Philanthropy.

Forty years after the start of the epidemic, HIV may not seem as pressing an emergency as it did initially. Along with improvements in education and testing, antiretroviral therapy has been a lifesaver for millions of people with the virus. But there is still no cure. At best, HIV-positive patients face a lifetime of managing their viral levels. Meanwhile, many people and communities, both in the U.S. and around the world, lack sufficient access to the support and therapies that do exist. As for the philanthropic sector, support for people with HIV and AIDS has been pretty flat for years.

A recently announced grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate the development of HIV vaccines serves as a reminder that philanthropy could be doing more to combat the disease, which is still a significant threat, not only in distant countries but among many communities and marginalized people across the U.S. In other words, there’s plenty of work yet to be done.

Read the full piece online.