Dr. Luc Montagnier (L) (formerly of the Pasteur Institute, France) and Dr. Robert C. Gallo (R) (formerly of the National Cancer Institute, U.S) just published a joint article on huffingtonpost.com as a call to action. Dr. Gallo and his team created and pioneered the field of retrovirology (HIV is a retrovirus) and along with the Dr. Montagnier and his team at the Pasteur Institute share the honour of having discovered the viral cause of AIDS : HIV.

An excerpt of the call to action (full article can be found here):

Today we call on international organizations and governments to immediately implement six objectives to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic. We made this announcement today and were joined by Jeff Crowley, Director, White House Office of National AIDS Policy.

Globally, many are acting as though HIV and AIDS are no longer the threat they were 25 years ago when the HIV virus was first discovered. However, in fact they remain an unparalleled global health threat, and despite progress in treatment, could worsen unless determined action is taken. We believe these recommendations are key to reducing and ultimately minimizing the devastation of HIV and AIDS.

Our Global Call to Action is as follows:

1. Invest in medical infrastructure and educational outreach programs in U.S. communities most affected by the HIV/AIDS epidemic

2. Promote global development of HIV/AIDS treatment and control programs along with regional research institutions in developing countries

3. Cultivate and inspire young scientists in the field of human virology

4. Enhance HIV/AIDS education and prevention, especially in countries with high infection rates

5. Support cutting-edge vaccine research and the development of new effective therapies

6. Continue the focus on preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission

Here we are, 25 years after discovering the cause of AIDS and we still have a major, public health HIV/AIDS crisis. Never in the history of mankind have we so quickly identified the cause of an epidemic, developed a test for it and begun to develop drug therapy, changing a once-deadly virus to a lifelong condition with proper medical intervention. It is important for governments and organizations from around the world to come together and combat this collective HIV/AIDS emergency.