THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 17, 1994 TAG: 9412170221
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A9 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: GENEVA LENGTH: Short : 29 lines
Heterosexual male drug-users in Thailand and homosexual men in Brazil will be the key volunteers of the first major human tests of two AIDS vaccines, the chief of the U.N. AIDS program said Friday.
Dr. Peter Piot of Belgium, appointed this week to head the new U.N. program to combat the disease, said tests will begin in 18 months to two years.
The World Health Organization has just completed a master plan for the tests of two vaccines, Piot told a news conference. He said other vaccines are being developed, but are still only in the laboratory or are being tested on animals and are years away from being tested on humans.
He said the vaccination program showed promise in the long term, but that U.N. efforts to fight the disease would have to shift emphasis from prevention to helping Third World countries cope as long-time carriers of the virus start developing AIDS.
KEYWORDS: AIDS VACCINES by CNB