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Tuesday, August 22, 2000 PUBLIC HEALTH & EDUCATION HIGH-RISK BEHAVIOR: HIV-Positive Men Banking on a Cure, Study Finds       A study published this week in The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality shows that an increasing number of HIV-positive men are practicing unsafe sex because they believe a cure for the disease is "imminent," the National Post reports. Based on their findings, researchers from the University of Western Ontario, the University of Hartford and the University of Connecticut suggest that HIV-positive people "feel less concern about the risks of infection [and] many now believe they are less likely to succumb to the disease." About 48 HIV-positive men ages 19 to 56 completed "detailed questionnaires" on their beliefs about HIV risk and prevention, as well as their thoughts on "whether HIV/AIDS is now or will soon be curable." The study found that those believing a cure soon would be discovered "were more likely to engage in frequent unprotected oral or anal sex" and indicated that they are "less likely to abstain" from unprotected sex in the future. With about 15% of the respondents indicating that they believe a cure is "imminent," Research Coordinator for the Sex Information & Education Council of Canada Alex McKay said the men's opinions are "affecting their behavior in a negative way ... The idea is that, 'Well look, if I become HIV-positive and I get on these protease inhibitors, I'm reading in the newspapers that they can virtually eliminate HIV from my body and that people are now starting to talk about [HIV/AIDS] as a chronic rather than fatal disease.' ... And that perception is translating among some of these people into higher levels of risk behavior." While protease inhibitors can reduce the viral load of HIV-positive people, the study authors say such treatments are limited "in terms of costs, difficulty with compliance, and the uncertainty of their effectiveness in terms of preventing the onset of illness." Concluding that HIV/AIDS continues to pose "a serious health threat," the researchers call for more "clinical counseling and new information campaigns" to combat the "ever changing core of misinformation" (Arnold, National Post, 8/21). Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report