Asiaweek最新文献

When the first international AIDS conference in Asia opened in Yokohama last week, the world's experts had bleak news. They said 10 million Asians could be carrying the AIDS virus by the end of the century--25%-30% of the global total. Some 250,000 people in the region are suffering from full-blown AIDS, with another 2 million infected by the virus. In Thailand, the sex industry is a key factor, said Prayura Kunasol, an official of the country's Ministry of Public Health. Three-quarters of all Thai cases--8580 AIDS victims and 600,000 infected patients--are linked to sexual activity. Widespread ignorance also fuels the epidemic, especially in China and India, according to participants in a Manila meeting organized by the Asian Development Bank in early August. Though 91% of city folks in China had heard of AIDS, only about a quarter could tell correctly how it was transmitted and a mere 5% knew the symptoms. In India, eight out of ten men say they're aware of the disease. But six of ten housewives had never heard of it. While heterosexual sex is the leading means of transmission, intravenous drug use, transfusions of tainted blood and unsterilized medical equipment also pose problems. In Yokohama, Japanese Prime Minister Murayama Tomiichi told some 11,000 delegates and observers from 120 countries that Tokyo was ready to step up efforts to combat "a global problem confronting all humanity."

The Chinese knew it all along. A reference to the healing power of qinghao is to be found in a list of "Prescriptions for 52 Kinds of Disease" written 2000 years ago. Now artemether, a derivative of the Chinese herb, has been proven the most effective tool in the fight against drug-resistant malaria. In a study of 97 severe cases conducted on the Thai-Cambodia border by Juntra Karbwang, artemether proved three times more effective than quinine. "Dr. Karbwang's study is of particular importance because it has been conducted in an area where the malaria parasite has become a monster, with resistance to most of the commonly used drugs," says Tore Godal, director of the UN tropical disease program. Used in Vietnam, a related herbal extract slashed malaria mortality rates by 80%. The drug will be manufactured in Kunming, China, and marketed by France's Rhone-Poulenc Rorer Doma. They needn't worry about demand, according to Nakajima Hiroshi. "In many countries malaria is worsening," says the World Health Organization director-general. "It kills some 1.5 to 3 million a year. The scientific demonstration of the success of this drug is a dramatic step forward for health."

It's not news for the women of the Indian subcontinent. For generations, they've been well aware that papaya and pregnancy don't mix. But now researchers at Britain's University of Sussex have proven the contraceptive qualities of the tropical fruit. "Women in Sri Lanka use papaya fruit as contraceptives because they are cheap and natural," says Tharmalingam Senthilomohan. "If they want to become pregnant, they simply avoid eating them." His findings: abortion can be induced by eating unripe papaya for three consecutive days. And daily consumption of ripe fruit can be an effective contraceptive. Senthilomohan has two theories on what gives papaya its contraceptive qualities. The tropical fruit contains an enzyme called papain which suppresses progesterone, a sex hormone needed to prepare the uterus for conception and to maintain the pregnancy. Another possibility is that papain, which can be used to tenderize meat, may break down a membrane vital to the development of the fetus.

That's because when the check arrives, there'll be condoms instead. Cabbage and Condoms, a Thai restaurant overseen by the Bangkok-based Population and Development Association, serves both items. The eatery plans to open its first overseas outlet in Beijing next month. "We have been working with Chinese family-planning groups and chose Beijing because it is the capital of the world's most populous country," says PDA founding chairman Mechai Viravaidya, who is widely known as "Mr. Condom" for his promotion of the device to stem population growth and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Stressing public awareness over coercion represents the next wave of birth control in China. The country's population is projected to hit 1.65 billion stabilizing around 2044. "Our food is guaranteed not to cause pregnancy," quips Mechai. Cabbages and condoms plans to serve Chinese and Thai dishes and offer karaoke. Profits will go to promoting birth control and AIDS awareness. The opening is timely: the World Health Organization recently urged China to boost its efforts to fight the spread of AIDS. Officially the country has 1159 cases of the disease, but the real number may be a lot higher. The PDA also plans to open restaurants in Vietnam, Australia and the US.