A new breakthrough by British scientists in discovering some of the origins of the HIV virus is welcome, says the AIDS Foundation, but excitement over media reports of a potential cure need to be tempered with caution. Research findings in the latest issue of Current Biology details work by Britain's National Institute for Medical Research in studying monkey genes that can prevent HIV infection. The research indicates that HIV infection would not have become established in the human population if the form of the gene present in certain monkeys had also been present in humans, and that only a single change to a similar human gene may be needed to enable it to interfere with the replication process of HIV and prevent infection. However, the AIDS Foundation is concerned that media reports of HIV breakthroughs don't give the public the full story. “Frequently, reports of promising directions for HIV/AIDS prevention/treatment receive widespread coverage in their infancy without mention of the extraordinarily long and careful research and approval processes that lie ahead,” says communications co-ordinator Steve Attwood. “Collectively, such reports can create the impression that a successful HIV/AIDS treatment or vaccine is "just around the corner" when, in reality, the "corner" may still be many years away.” Attwood says the Foundation's health promoters do hear occasionally of some gay men not taking steps to avoid HIV because of undue optimism around the possibilities of successful treatments or "cures" coming on stream "before they get sick". “Prevention (i.e condoms for penetrative sex) remains by far the cheapest, most effective and most readily available means of combating HIV,” he says.
Credit: GayNZ.com News Staff
First published: Monday, 17th January 2005 - 12:00pm