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No news is bad news

Article Abstract:

The British government and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher have cancelled a research program that included a survey on contemporary adult sexual behavior which was designed to help understand the spread of AIDS in Britain. Successful pilot studies have already taken place. The Economic and Social Research Council was to fund the project and the Health Education Authority and the Department of Health had agreed to contribute the additional funds that were necessary for completion of the project. The Health Education Authority decided not to release its share of the funding. Many issues pertaining to the transmission of AIDS are unknown and cancellation of this project will slow the understanding of the spread of AIDS. Will AIDS spread to the heterosexual population or will it remain in the groups among whom it is now prevalent: homosexual and bisexual men, intravenous drug users, and recipients of blood transfusions? What is the rate of the acquisition of new sexual partners among these high risk individuals and the rate of transmission of disease? How will the use of AZT (3'-azido-3'deoxythimidine), a drug which slows the progress of AIDS, affect the infection rate? From studies of social behavior, trends are recognized that relate certain events and behaviors with increased risk of contracting the disease. These trends could be used as guidelines to encourage behavior changes aimed at disease prevention.

United Kingdom, Science and technology policy, Thatcher, Margaret, Great Britain

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Vaccine compromise

Article Abstract:

The decision of the Army to proceed with a $20 million trial among army personnel of a vaccine against the HIV is criticized. MicroGeneSys aggressively lobbied Congress to approve the vaccine trial against the objections of the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration. Questions were raised against the effectiveness of the therapeutic vaccine, a non-traditional vaccine as it aims to stimulate an immune reaction even in persons already infected with HIV. Studies have shown that massive infection of lymph nodes by HIV has already occurred even if an infected person shows no overt signs of AIDS.

Testing, United States. Army, Vaccines, AIDS vaccines

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Does drug use cause AIDS?

Article Abstract:

The drug-use hypothesis states that recreational drug use leads to the acquisition of HIV infection and the development of the AIDS. Data from a unique population-based cohort study, the San Francisco Men's Health Study, were analyzed to test this hypothesis. The results provide no evidence for a drug effect. Moreover, there were no positive association between long-term or continued drug use and the development of AIDS.

Drug abuse

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