Wayne Gilchrest: “Mr. Chairman, I think everyone in this room knows what HIV is, and…”

On the recordJuly 13, 1995

Mr. Chairman, I think everyone in this room knows what HIV is, and that it leads to AIDS. HIV is human immunodeficiency virus. It has just been discovered by a gentleman from Maryland that cats, cats in the wild, have FIV, that is feline immunodeficiency virus. They got it about 200 million years ago and through the course of time they have developed a resistance to FIV. Cats some time ago gave it to monkeys, SIV, simian immunodeficiency virus, and they gave it to humans. If we lose the wild cats in the wild, we will not have any sense of understanding about how they were able to balance HIV with not getting AIDS. It is important, I think, for us to have some sense of preservation for these wild animals. I urge a ``no'' vote on this particular amendment. If we want to understand the nature of nature and preserve the quality of life for people, let's contribute just a few dollars which will add up to big bucks later.

Said by

Wayne Gilchrest

Maryland

Source

govinfo.gov

Editor's note · Context

Discussing the importance of preserving wild cats in relation to understanding HIV and AIDS.

Share on X Share on Facebook Email this quote

Wayne Gilchrest: “Mr. Chairman, I think everyone in this room knows what HIV is, and that it leads to AIDS. HIV is human immunodeficiency…”

Editor's note · Context