AIDS On Rise In Asia

The number of AIDS cases in Asia will increase dramatically by the year 2000, a group of panelists told about 85 people yesterday at a forum at the School of Public Health.

Doctors from India and Thailand warned about the impending explosion of AIDS cases in their countries and an American doctor discussed the different types of HIV viruses which develop into AIDS.

The forum, sponsored by the Harvard AIDS Institute, was part of a series of events commemorating World AIDS Day, which is today.

One million Indians are infected with HIV, said Dr. S.P. Tripathy, director general of the Indian Council of Medical Research in New Delhi.

But less than 100 cases of fullblown AIDS have been reported, causing health officials to delay taking preventive measures.

"People say Indians must be more resistant to the virus," said Tripathy. "This is false."

Tripathy expects that by the year 2000, at least 4,000 AIDS cases in India and 450,000 in Southeast Asia will be reported.

Tripathy said that a major problem in India is that 500,000 people are infected with both HIV and tuberculosis.

"By 2000, HIV will have added 14 percent to the total number of tuberculosis patients," he said, explaining that HIV-positive patients are more likely to develop tuberculosis.

Of all Asian countries, Thailand has the largest number of reported AIDS cases,said Dr. Vicharn Vithayasai, chief of immunologyin the microbiology department at Chiang MaiUniversity in Thailand.

"Up to the beginning of 1993, there were 3,436cases of AIDS in Thailand, and this number hasdoubled in the last eight months," saidVithayasai.

He attributed the spread of AIDS in his countrypredominantly to transmission by maleheterosexuals.

"By the age of 18, roughly 80 percent of Thaimales have used the services of prostitutes," hesaid.

Seventy-two percent of Thai prostitutes whocharge $2 or less are infected with the virus.

"Thai hospitality is another reason for thisspread," Vithayasai said. "Your host gives you abig meal and then women."

Thai habit dictates that when a man visits anew town, he cannot say he's seen the place untilhe's had sex with the local women, Vithayasaisaid.

Panelist Donald S. Burke, Director of theMilitary Medical Consortium for Applied RetroviralResearch, in Rockville, Md., discussed the sevenmajor types of HIV viruses found around the worldand their impact on the development of a vaccine.

Burke said he hopes to see the development of acommon vaccine which will control the developmentof the different strains of HIV in both Thailandand the United States

"Up to the beginning of 1993, there were 3,436cases of AIDS in Thailand, and this number hasdoubled in the last eight months," saidVithayasai.

He attributed the spread of AIDS in his countrypredominantly to transmission by maleheterosexuals.

"By the age of 18, roughly 80 percent of Thaimales have used the services of prostitutes," hesaid.

Seventy-two percent of Thai prostitutes whocharge $2 or less are infected with the virus.

"Thai hospitality is another reason for thisspread," Vithayasai said. "Your host gives you abig meal and then women."

Thai habit dictates that when a man visits anew town, he cannot say he's seen the place untilhe's had sex with the local women, Vithayasaisaid.

Panelist Donald S. Burke, Director of theMilitary Medical Consortium for Applied RetroviralResearch, in Rockville, Md., discussed the sevenmajor types of HIV viruses found around the worldand their impact on the development of a vaccine.

Burke said he hopes to see the development of acommon vaccine which will control the developmentof the different strains of HIV in both Thailandand the United States