'His work contributed to saving millions of lives': Trailblazing Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher, 71, dies of an asthma attack while swimming in Florida

published on April 14, 2017 by Jordan Gass-Poore for Dailymail.com, in Dailymail

A Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher died of an asthma attack while swimming off a Florida beach on a family vacation.

Dr Mark Wainberg, 71, was in the water Tuesday afternoon when his son lost sight of him, Bal Harbor police Captain Mike De La Rosa told the Miami Herald.

De La Rosa said Wainberg's son then spotted him and had tried to rescue him. Other beachgoers went into the water and assisted his son in bringing him onto the shore.

CPR was started and Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue crews took Wainberg to a hospital, where he was declared dead.

'Canada and the world have lost a great scientist and a great man,' Dr Julio Montaner, director of the British Columbia Center for Excellence in HIV/AIDS, told The Globe and Mail.

Red flags were flying Tuesday due to a National Weather Service report of strong currents.

Wainberg was on the first team to discover the anti-viral drug Lamivudine to treat HIV/AIDS in 1989, which helped extend the survival of patients.

But Wainberg did not limit himself to lab work, becoming an advocate for more available and affordable HIV/AIDS treatment and destigmatizing those living with the disease.

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Julio Montaner

BC Centre for Excellence in HIV/AIDS

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'His work contributed to saving millions of lives': Trailblazing Canadian HIV/AIDS researcher, 71, dies of an asthma attack while swimming in Florida

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