San Francisco Chronicle - The Voice of the West, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94119 - Monday, December 2, 1996 - Page A1
Teresa Moore, Chronicle Staff Writer

There was a glint of optimism in Western nations, where the development of new medications has marked a turning point in a pandemic that for 15 years has seemed a long march to death.

San Franciscans marked the day in churches, libraries, parks and even stores -- more than 120 Bay Area merchants donated from 2 to 25 percent of their weekend sales to the San Francisco AIDS Foundation.

"We gather as one world to uphold the one hope that binds us together in this time and space," said Chris San- doval, director of the Multicultural AIDS Resource Center of California, during a memorial gathering at San Francisco's New Main Library. "We come together to form a community of communities."

Yet while Western nations take heart in new drug treatments that reverse AIDS symptoms in HIV- positive people, the World Health Organization reports that the disease is spreading at an explosive rate in developing countries, especially those in Asia and in Africa, home of 63 percent of the world's estimated 23 million HIV-infected people.

According to some projections, AIDS could slash life expectancy in South Africa to 40 years from 63 in less than 15 years. In Uganda, where one family in four has an HIV-positive relative, the life expectancy has dropped from 52 to 42.

International public health experts have warned that the number of people infected with HIV in China could grow from an estimated 100,000 cases today to more than 1 million by the year 2000 if preventive measures are not taken.

An estimated 800,000 of Thailand's 60 million people have HIV, and 50,000 more have died of AIDS.

The United Nations has created a special agency to help combat AIDS, the only disease with its own World Day.

"AIDS is a global problem. No country or region is immune," U.N. secretary general Boutros Boutros-Ghali said in a statement. "Today, some 22 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, while the total number of worldwide AIDS related deaths has reached six million. These are appalling statistics."

Against this bleak backdrop, yesterday's ceremonies throughout the world sought to shine a stronger light on the AIDS crisis.

In Thailand, which has a lucrative sex industry, 420 gas stations distributed 3 million condoms to customers with the warning, "Be careful of AIDS when feeling naughty."

In South Africa, where giant red lights illuminated Cape Town's Table Mountain at sunset, Archbishop Desmond Tutu urged his countrypeople to take precautions and use condoms.

Ugandan newspapers reported an encouraging decline in the number of new AIDS cases since more men began using condoms after a nationwide education program began several years ago.

More than 400 people gathered in Tokyo for the lighting of a 20- foot tree bearing 12,000 red ribbons, symbol of the fight against

AIDS.

To call attention to AIDS among American Indians, a sculpture was shrouded in black nylon outside Phoenix's Heard Museum, renowned for its collection of Indian art.

In Paris, several hundred AIDS activists marched with signs reading, "AIDS: The Epidemic Isn't Over" and "Zero Equals the Number of AIDS Survivors."

In Rome, two taxi companies distributed AIDS information leaflets to passengers, and some players in Italy's top soccer league wore red bows on their uniforms.

In San Francisco, Robin Avant recalled burying one brother-in- law in 1992 and another in 1995 after each succumbed to complications from AIDS. Avant, an African American woman who works for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said that the black and Latino women who are the fastest- growing group of new AIDS cases in this country have to get more involved in AIDS prevention and education.

"This problem belongs to all of us," Avant said. "All each of us needs to do is to take a look in the mirror and what stares back at us is someone in our community who is affected by the disease."

David Varala came to the new library to sign a blank AIDS quilt panel for Nicki Virgilio, a 2-year- old Galveston, Texas, girl who died a few months ago from AIDS complications. Varala, 37, said that after coming to World AIDS Day ceremonies for six years he finally has reason to hope for the future.

"As a person with AIDS, I feel we're seeing an incredible change," Varala said. In May, he went on protease inhibitors and as of this week his condition has improved to the point that he is virtually asymptomatic.

"No more chemo. No more IV- infusions. I'm moving to pills," he said with a glowing smile. "We're keeping our fingers crossed and we're praying that I continue to do so well."

Anthony Turny, executive director of the NAMES Project, told the group at the library that he remembered when, in 1987, the AIDS quilt was 40 panels suspended in San Francisco's Civic Center. Although he was glad that scientific advances were offering new hope to people with AIDS, Turny said that every day in his office he sees evidence that the struggle against the pandemic is far from over. Yesterday, pieces of the quilt, which in its entirety now weighs 46 tons, were displayed around the globe.

"Hope has finally begun to blaze," Turny said. " . . . but I can't bring myself to use that word `celebrate' in connection with this day -- not yet at least."
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