Stop animal tests

8:28am Wednesday 28th February 2007

IT is beyond any dispute that a cure must be found for the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and it is one that scientists are working round the clock to achieve, which is why there are nearly as many HIV/AIDS charities in Britain as there are people with the virus.

It is, however, time to stop using primates as research subjects in our laboratories.

According to the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection, animal-based research over 25 years has "resulted in 30 vaccines which protect monkeys from contracting the primate equivalent of HIV (SIV), but has failed to find a cure for humans".

In other words animal experimentation, a cruel and painful practice, is useless for stopping the spread of HIV/AIDS infection in people.

Scientists and government personnel should admit that there are too many organic, rudimentary differences between monkeys and humans.

And that consequently this makes primates very unreliable research models.

In reality the "in-vitro" method (the study of infected human cells in test tubes) is the most effective and widely used treatment for HIV/AIDS, but will the Government ban primate experiments and concentrate on non-animal research?

The answer seems to be: "No way, Jose!" Not only doesn't it possess values, nobilities or ethics, it clearly doesn't have any sense of judgement!

Aled Jones, Mount Crescent, Bridlington.