LETTER: Wistar Response

In a recent issue, The Daily Pennsylvanian makes a regrettable contribution to public misunderstanding about AIDS and the origin of the virus that causes the disease (DP 3/24/92). Not only does the DP misrepresent the Rolling Stone article it cites, it also fails to emphasize that this article is highly speculative and is by no means a scientific account, a point that has been highlighted by journalists writing in other publications. The origin of HIV -- the virus that causes AIDS -- is still a scientific puzzle, raising complex and highly technical questions that have not yet been definitively resolved even by the scientists who are experts in the field. The theory put forth in Rolling Stone -- attempting to link HIV to early polio vaccine -- is one of a number of disparate speculations about the origin of AIDS. On March 5, appearing on the "Larry King Live" show on CNN, Dr. Sanford Kuvin, director of the National Foundation of Infectious Diseases, commented that Rolling Stone's article "had no basis for substantiation" and was "an unfortunate diversion." Nevertheless, as the director of the Wistar Institute I am concerned that the questions raised by the article not be dismissed without responsible consideration. Toward that end, the Institute has established a committee of prominent scientists to evaluate the Rolling Stone speculations in the interest of reliable scientific research and accurate reporting. GIOVANNI ROVERA Director Wistar Institute

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