XN000022-1991-11-30 — Page 2

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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1991

HK MUST FACE AND MEET THE CHALLENGE OF AIDS: GOVERNOR

THE GOVERNMENT TOGETHER WITH THE NEWLY ESTABLISHED HONG KONG AIDS FOUNDATION MUST AND WILL FACE AND MEET THE CHALLENGE OF AIDS, THE GOVERNOR, SIR DAVID WILSON, SAID TODAY (SATURDAY).

SPEAKING AT

AIDS HAD A PREVENT

KONG THE INAUGURATION CEREMONY OF THE HONG FOUNDATION, THE GOVERNOR WHO IS THE PATRON SAID THE FOUNDATION VITAL ROLE TO PLAY IN IMPLEMENTING GOVERNMENT'S STRATEGY TO THE SPREAD OF AIDS.

"THE

―

AIM IS, QUITE SIMPLY, TO LIMIT TO THE MINIMUM THE

THE AIDS OF

IN HONG KONG AND TO DO THIS BY EDUCATION FOR PUBLIC AND COUNSELLING FOR. HIGH RISK GROUPS.

SPREAD GENERAL

"IN

THIS WAY THE FOUNDATION WILL COMPLEMENT THE AIDS PREVENTION PROGRAMME, HE SAID.

GOVERNMENT'S

CONFIRMED

THAT NOTING

58 SO FAR IN HONG KONG THERE HAD BEEN CASES OF AIDS, THE GOVERNOR SAID: "WE HAVE NO REASON TO BE COMPLACENT..

IT

RATE

"BUT

IS RIGHT TO RECOGNISE THAT THIS RELATIVELY LOW PARTLY REFLECTS THE FACT THAT OUR STRATEGY OF SURVEILLANCE, SCREENING, COUNSELLING AND PUBLIC EDUCATION WAS IN PLACE EARLY," HE SAID.

THE GOVERNOR POINTED OUT THAT MEDICAL SCIENCE HAD DEVELOPED CURES FOR MOST DISEASES, BUT AIDS REMINDED US THAT WE CERTAINLY NOT HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS.

DID

"THE HARROWING REALITY IS THAT WE HAVE YET TO FIND AN EFFECTIVE CURE FOR AIDS.

"IN

THIS CASE, IT IS NOT A MATTER OF PREFERRING PREVENTION CURE: IT

ARE IS QUITE SIMPLY THAT PREVENTION AND CONTROL EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES AVAILABLE TO US," HE SAID.

ΤΟ

THE ONLY

MYSTERY

SAID SIR DAVID

HE HAD NO DOUBT THAT THE MASSIVE WORLDWIDE RESEARCH EFFORT CURRENTLY UNDERWAY WOULD IN TIME UNRAVEL THE OF AIDS AND PROVIDE MANKIND WITH A CURE.

WE

SHARE

"BUT NOBODY KNOWS HOW LONG THAT WILL TAKE. IN THE MEANTIME MUST AS THE MOTTO OF THE HONG KONG AIDS FOUNDATION DECLARES THE CHALLENGE, HE SAID.

—

||

ORGANISATION

HAD

AND AT IN

THE GOVERNOR NOTED THAT THE WORLD HEALTH ESTIMATED THAT EIGHT TO 10 MILLION PEOPLE HAD THE HIV VIRUS LEAST HALF OF THESE PEOPLE WERE EXPECTED TO DEVELOP CLINICAL AIDS THE NEXT DECADE.

**ASIA HAS SO FAR BEEN SPARED THE EXTENT OF THE EPIDEMIC HAS STRUCK NORTH AMERICA, EUROPE AND AFRICA.

WHICH

ABOUT

"TWENTY-SEVEN COUNTRIES IN ASIA HAVE REPORTED A TOTAL OF 1,000 CASES OF AIDS. BUT THIS IS LIKELY TO BE A SERIOUS UNDERESTIMATE.

WILL GATHER WE MUST EXPECT THAT IN ASIA TOO THE EPIDEMIC

MOMENTUM,

HE SAID.

中华

/EARLIER, THE