Global AIDS - Thailand
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| Biology
of AIDS |
| The World Edition of BBC News is carrying a superb series
on the biology of AIDS covering the Hiv virus, Infection,
Early Stages and as AIDS Develops. |
| www.avert.org |
| For further information, refer to the following web pages |
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Clinical Trials Announced Into Efficacy
of Limes (or lemons) as Nature’s Microbicide
to Combat HIV/AIDS!
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Agreement on Eve of XV International
AIDS
Conference in Bangkok - 11-16 July, 2004
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The Thailand Initiative - The Manao (Lime) Trial - June, 2003
Professor Short was in Thailand from June 17- 21 2003, at the invitation
of Senator Mechai Viravaidya, AO, Chairman of the Population and Community
Development Association (PDA).
Prof Short reports:
Two days were spent with our Bangkok-based LemonAIDS team member, obstetrician/gynaecologist
Dr Andrew Clift, putting the finishing touches to a series of Project
Proposals he had prepared for submission to the Thai Ministry of Public
Health for clinical trials of the contraceptive and microbicidal activity
of lime (or lemon) juice, as follows:
- Acceptability and Safety of Intravaginal Lime Juice
- Contraceptive Efficacy of Intravaginal Lime Juice
- Lime Juice as a novel screening agent for sexually transmitted infections
- Lime Juice as a post-coital microbicide in high risk Thai males.
We spent 1 and a half hours presenting the evidence for lime (or lemon)
juice as a microbicide, and the need for a series of Thai clinical trials
(The Manao Trials) to assess its Acceptability,Safety and Efficacy first
as a contraceptive, and if successful, as a microbicide against HIV
and other sexually transmitted infections.
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To our delight, Dr Vallop expressed great enthusiasm for the
project. We suggested that it should be seen as a continuing partnership
between Thailand and Australia, with Melbourne University providing
the scientific input and the PDA providing local support for a
series of trials to be run and coordinated by the Thai Ministry
of Public Health, and subject to approval by the Ministry's Ethics
Committee. We are awaiting final confirmation of the agreement
in writing, but if our proposals are accepted, this will be a
major achievement.
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Following the meeting with Dr Vallop, Mechai Viravaidya, Dr Andrew
Clift and Prof Short were invited to a lunch given in our honour by
His Excellency, Mr Miles Kupa, the Australian Ambassador, at the Australian
Embassy. The luncheon was an excellent opportunity for Professor Short,
Senator Mechai and Dr Clift to brief the Ambassador and his Embassy
colleagues on the progress of the Manao Trials.
We are particularly grateful to the Ambassador for his enthusiastic
support.
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Thailand
Mechai Viravaidya, a Thai Senator and Chairman of the Population
and Community Development Association in Bangkok expressed very
great interest.
He is the chairman of the next International AIDS Conference,
which will be held in Bangkok in 2004.
Acting on the advice of those ethicists who'd argued that developing
countries facing major HIV/AIDS pandemics need to be informed
about the lemon juice story and its vital discoveries. Professor
Short and Mechai Viravaidya held a publicity launch in the Thai
capital of Bangkok that ran from August 9 to 12th last year (2002).
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Mechai Viravaidya
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Professor Short reports: "The topic aroused great public interest,
and featured on several television news programmes in Thai and in the
pages of The Nation, the Sunday Nation and the Bangkok Post." The
response was mixed. The Public Health Ministry said the research was not
scientifically proven, and had yet to be confirmed.
"The Communicable Disease Control Department even said that work
carried out about 20 years ago had disproved the theory. An Editorial
in The Nation called it a 'half-baked idea', but they subsequently apologised.
The Public Health Minister urged people not to try the lemon juice,
but to stick to using condoms. Members of the public, when interviewed,
were worried that lemon juice might be painful.
However, at the end of the day, everybody seemed to be talking about
lemon juice.
For further information, refer to the links
page.
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