Thirty years ago, Robert Gallo, MD, announced to the world that he had co-discovered HIV as the cause of AIDS. A week ago, he said during a health conference in India that Ebola “is only a transient phenomenon and it will subside very soon,” DNA India reports.

“The main threat we are facing as far as viral disease is concerned, is from HIV,” Gallo said. “We need to find a vaccine to prevent HIV, and that will happen in the near future.” He was speaking at the annual India International Public Health Conference organized by the Kerala Chapter of the Indian Medical Association.

His comment was made during a symposium titled “Emerging and Re-emerging Viral Diseases: Developing a Strategy for Surveillance.” As part of the conference, he also held a seminar on “Viruses and Cancer.”