Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - November 10, 1986
Walter Sullivan
W.H.O., for example, has been promoting a program of child immunization against such diseases as measles, whooping cough and tetanus. Normally a vaccine stimulates the defense system of the body to produce chemical defenders, or antibodies, against the target disease. But children whose immune systems have been crippled by AIDS may be unable to produce such antibodies.
Increasing numbers of children have been born infected with AIDS acquired from their mothers.
Dr. Mann estimated that several million people carried the disease.
Problem With Reuse of Needles
Vaccination might even have an adverse effect on an infected child, he added, although evidence, on this score has been "reassuring," he said. Nevertheless, the spreading of AIDS by contaminated needles presents a special problem for vaccination efforts in poor countries.
Victims of AIDS often require lifelong medical care and, if the victims become numerous, could overwhelm a nation's capacities.
"We believe this is an unprecedented problem and the needed resources are likewise unprecedented," he said. Since no vaccine against AIDS is in sight, Dr. Mann said, and none seems likely for at least five years, the only recourse is to try curtailing its spread through education about transmission.
Those modes depend on the cultural habits of each country, research shows. Thus in Italy and Spain, AIDS has primarily affected intravenous drug users. In Britain and France the incidence has been chiefly among homosexuals.
It seems absent from some regions of Asia and is rare in India.
The World Health Organization is urging each country to establish a program of surveillance, with laboratory support, and to educate both health care personnel and the public on preventive measures. Where women carrying the disease have been identified, Dr. Mann said, they should be encouraged not to bear children.
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