Compounding the tragedy of the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight MH17 is the blow to the prevention and cure of HIVand AIDS. Among those killed in the crash were as many as 108 of the world’s top scientists, advocates and researchers involved in the global struggle against HIV and AIDS. The scientists were en route to the 20th International AIDS Conference being held in Melbourne, Australia. Former President Bill Clinton was the guest speaker at the conference. The flight originated in Amsterdam and many of the researchers were from that nation. The organizations that the individuals were involved with include the United Nations, World Health Organization, Stop AIDS Europe and Stop AIDS Africa as well as many more.
Among those killed were:
