Today Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 was shot out of the sky. All 298 people on board, passengers and crew alike, were killed.
As reports began to circulate about the people on board – their nationalities, and the occasional name – it was also revealed that up to one hundred of those passengers on board were HIV and AIDS researchers, activists and officials who were headed to the AIDS 2014 conference in Melbourne.
Among them was President of International AIDS Society and father-of-five Joep Lange, HIV researchers Dr Lucie van Mens, Martine de Schutter, Pim de Kuijer and Jacqueline van Tongeren, as well as the World Health Organisation’s Glenn Thomas.
Colleagues and friends of those who are believed to have been on board have been sharing their condolences, through social media, statements and press conferences.
UNAIDS director Michael Sidibe tweeted, “My thoughts & prayers to families of those tragically lost on flight #MH17. Many passengers were enroute to #AIDS2014 here in #Melbourne.”
President of the International AIDS Society Professor Francoise Barré-Sinousi told media in Canberra, “It’s a very sad day. I apologise if I don’t feel so well.”
And Canadian HIV researcher Trevor Stratton asked the ABC, “What if the cure for AIDS was on that flight?”
Canadian HIV researcher Trevor Stratton ‘what if the cure for Aids was on that flight.’ Sydney conference told 100+ HIV researchers killed.
— Lucy Carter (@lucethoughts) July 18, 2014
It’s a question with painful resonance.
No life on board MH17 is worth more than any other. Every single person on board that flight was important to somebody – multiple somebodies – and their loss will cause devastating pain.
But what Stratton’s question reminds us is that now the world will not only be grieving for the lives we have already tragically lost – we will be grieving for lives that may continue to be lost, where they otherwise might have been saved.
It adds another layer of tragedy to what is already deeply upsetting news.
Professor Joep Lange had spent 30 years researching HIV, and in that time he “led pivotal trials of antiretroviral therapy and published more than 350 papers in peer-reviewed journals”.
His colleague Professor David Cooper told The Conversation, “Another outstanding area of [Lange’s] contribution has been his pioneering role in exploring affordable and simple antiretroviral drug regimens for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in resource-poor settings.”
“The joy in collaborating with Joep was that he would always bring a fresh view, a unique take on things, and he never accepted that something was impossible to achieve.”
An estimated 36 million people have died since the AIDS epidemic began in 1981. There are 35.3 million people worldwide currently living with AIDS.
These people are relying on scientists and researchers to help them live longer, fuller, and better lives. To help them live, at all.
Researchers like Joep Lange, his partner Jacqueline van Tongeren, Dr Lucie van Mens, Martine de Schutter, Pim de Kuijer and Glenn Thomas have all dedicated their lives in some way to helping those who were suffering.
They have spent their lives fighting for the lives of others; and they were killed by a different type of fighting, in a different type of war. The discoveries and developments they might have made in the future, have now been lost.
The fact that these researchers and activists and advocates are now casualties of a war that they had nothing to do with, is infuriating and unfair. As it is with anyone who was on board the Malaysian Airlines flight.
Our thoughts are with those today who had loved ones on board MH17, and who will by touched by this tragedy.
And our thoughts are also with those who will lose loved ones in the future.
Those who may be touched by the destruction of MH17 in some intangible, unknown way.
For more on the MH17 tragedy:
NEWS: Malaysia Airlines plane crashes in Ukraine. All 298 on board confirmed dead.
MH17: Our thoughts are with the families of these 27 Australians.
Top Comments
It is interesting to see people's response to this. As someone who is married to one and friends with, many people who are international experts in a particular field of research, I kind of bristled when I heard that comment by Trevor Stratton. To me, these were people first and foremost, and it was easy to put myself, or my friends and their families in their shoes.
The comment struck me as insensitive and almost selfish when in fact it was really just making an important point. I am glad that Melissa is raising this because it has made me think more about it. Should I have been so miffed?
Clearly, the loss of fine minds and good people is a huge loss but fortunately, their work lives on. They are published people and many others would be aware of their current work even if the latest research is not yet published. It is unlikely that the cure for anything was on that plane. Even computers that were on that plane would have been backed up. Conferences are where the work is presented to a wider audience, fortunately it is only one of many ways that work is disseminated and in fact, in theory, the papers were presubmitted for printing anyway.
Fortunately, their work almost certainly will be carried on and their contributions will not be wasted. These things are usually small steps and breakthroughs and many people usually contribute to a final outcome. Again, it is fortunate that there are always more fine minds coming through the ranks.
This is not to say that these people were replaceable and even my husband has been known to say to me, "If anything happens to me, make sure that you give this to … and …."
How dreadful it is that we have to have this discussion.
Well said.
I think you are missing the point. I doubt he was implying that one of the people on the plane had the answer already. He is implying that one of those people who are devoting their life to curing an awful virus has died and their knowledge, passion, ideas and their potential to find a cure is gone. In the same way that a medical student on the same flight with some untapped potential may have been the one to cure cancer. Or a mother may have been the one who turned around the lives of troubled teens in the future. He is mourning the loss of what those people may have been in the future. It is a tragedy and he is right to be saddened by the loss of so many who could have done so much, whether they be aids researchers or innocent children who never got to explore their talents.
Yes interesting opinion, that it's a war they may have had nothing to do with, but that's not a fact is it, and perhaps the possibililty that a cure to AIDS may have been on that flight was exactly why that flight was targeted and brought down. There is a lot out there that we don't know. I do know however that various other carriers flew that exact same flight path in the preceding hours before MH17 was hit and they reached their destinations safely.