Health officials seek ways to halt AIDS.

On 4 January the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) convened a workshop a t its Atlanta headquarters to assess the options for halting the spread of the new disease called acquired immunodeficien­ cy syndrome o r , more commonly, AIDS. The main topic of discussion was the possibility that the disease, which may kill u p to 70 percent of the patients within 2 years of diagnosis, might b e spread in blood and blood products. T h e C D C recently reported that hemo­ philiacs a re a t high risk of contracting AIDS, which may b e transmitted by an infectious agent in the blood clotting factor preparations that they take {Sci­ ence, 7 January, p . 42). T h e Center ' s Bruce Evatt told the workshop that AIDS was the second leading cause of death f o r hemophiliacs in 1982, even though the disease was first discovered in hemophiliacs in the summer of that year. Eight hemophiliacs who had none of the other known risk factors died f rom AIDS, compared to some 40 who died of bleeding. James Curran, head of the CDC task force investigating AIDS, says, " T h e sense of urgency is greatest f o r hemophiliacs. The risk for others [who receive blood products] now ap­ pears small, but is unknown." Suspicion has been cast on blood products in addition to clotting factor, however. An infant contracted AIDS af­ ter receiving red blood cells that had come from a man who developed the disease several months a f te r he donated the blood. The C D C is also investigating the cases of two adults who developed AIDS af te r receiving blood transfusions during surgery. T h e two did not belong to any of the known high-risk groups, which include, in addition to hemophili­ acs, homosexual and bisexual men who are extremely active sexually, users of intravenous drugs, and Haitians. In each case, investigators have identified a blood donor who has certain characteris­ tics associated with AIDS, including a particular immune defect, although nei­ ther donor has actually developed the disease. The C D C investigators have also iden­ tified several AIDS patients who donat­ ed blood. N o n e of the recipients has contracted the condition, but there is still