Clinton's challenge: Find AIDS vaccine by 2007

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- President Clinton proclaimed a national goal of finding a vaccine for AIDS by the year 2007 in a commencement speech at Morgan State University in Baltimore on Sunday.

Acknowledging that finding a vaccine would be a difficult task, Clinton compared the search with President John F. Kennedy's early 1960s call to put a man on the moon by the end of that decade.

"He gave us a goal of reaching the moon and we achieved it ahead of time," Clinton told graduates of the predominantly black college in Maryland's largest city. "Today, let us look within and step up to the challenge of our time."

"There are no guarantees," he said. "It will take energy and focus and demand great effort from our greatest minds."

	Clinton on AIDS research: (264K/24 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)
	Clinton calls for an AIDS vaccine: (162K/14 sec. AIFF or WAV sound)

But the president said the question is no longer whether a vaccine can be created, but simply when.

Clinton's optimism is not shared by some AIDS researchers, however, and administration officials said preparation of the president's speech sparked intense debate about the feasibility of finding a vaccine in a decade.

Dr. Robert Gallo, co-discoverer of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that causes AIDS, said last week there was a "serious possibility" no vaccine would ever be discovered. And Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said too many "unknowns" about HIV were "major stumbling blocks" to finding a vaccine.

But the president wanted to set a deadline to make clear that finding the vaccine was a high priority. He also chose predominantly African-American Morgan State for the announcement to underscore his commitment to the black community, which is disproportionately affected by AIDS.

Clinton announced the creation of a dedicated AIDS vaccine research unit at the National Institutes of Health, although no additional funds have been earmarked for the research. Instead, scientists will come from existing NIH programs.

Clinton also included in his address Sunday a renewed pledge to carry out research at the highest standard of ethics to ensure there is never a repetition of a government study in Tuskegee, Alabama, on poor black men whose syphilis went untreated for years.

"We must never allow our citizens to be unwitting guinea pigs in scientific experiments that put them at risk without their consent," the president said.

Clinton held an emotional White House ceremony on Friday during which he publicly apologized to the victims of the Tuskegee study, which began in the 1930s.

• Fitness and Health - AIDS

Related stories:

• Two AIDS advances - May 8, 1997
• Researchers predict advent of AIDS vaccine - May 6, 1997
• New hope: AIDS deaths drop for first time - February 27, 1997

Related sites:

• Clinton to Set AIDS Vaccine as U.S. Goal - WashingtonPost.com
• National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
• AIDS Research Information Center
• Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention - Centers for Disease Control
• Morgan State University

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