Clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of lime juice to combat HIV/AIDS.

[Guest guest]

LIMES AND LEMONS - NATURE'S OWN MICROBICIDE TO COMBAT HIV/AIDS?

MELBOURNE LINK WITH CLINICAL TRIALS IN THAILAND

Dateline: May 28,2004

The Thailand government is to fund clinical trials to evaluate the efficacy of

lime juice - first as a contraceptive and then as nature's own microbicide to

combat HIV/AIDS.

The so-called Manoi (Lime) Trial was given the go-ahead nod at a top level

meeting at the Thai Ministry of Health in Bangkok.It's certain to generate

widespread global interest as the news will be a major talking point at the

upcoming International AIDS Conference that Thailand will be hosting in July.

The official approval comes almost a year after Dr Vallop Thaineua, the

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, met in Thailand with Dr

Mechai Viravaidya, Chairman of the Population and Community Development

Association, and Professor Short of Melbourne University's Department of

Obstetrics and Gynaecology, to study the initial proposal.

The trials will rely on Thai government funding and scientific back up from

Professor Short's medical team in Australia.Professor Short said: " What the

Western world is trying to develop is a microbicidal Cadillac - what the

developing world needs is a microbicidal bicycle that's freely available " .

Mechai Viravaidya broke the news of the Bangkok decision to the Executive

Director of UNAIDS., Dr Piot, at a meeting with him in Shanghai on May

27th. That meeting was also attended by one of Secretary-General Kofi n's

special AIDS envoys, Pakistan's Nafis Sadik, and Dr Rob Moodie (Australia's

VicHealth chief) who is a member of Professor Short's LemonAIDS team.

It was just two years ago that Dr Piot hailed the discovery that the

juice of the lemon kills HIV in the test tube, declaring: " UNAIDS would like to

give you (Professor Short and your 'LemonAIDS' team) every encouragement

to pursue this exciting new lead in the global battle against HIV/AIDS'.

This story is highly detailed and documented and backgrounded on the

http://www.aids.net.au website.

*******************************************************

Haill,

President,

The Australian AIDS Fund Inc.,

Melbourne, Australia

E-mail: <bhaill@...>