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AIDS Deaths to Top 8 Million by 2000, WHO Says *
Reuters (08/09/93)
Forrester, James

Glasgow, Scotland--According to Michael Merson, executive
director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) global
program, an additional 6 million people will have died of AIDS
by the year 2000. In light of this figure, said Merson, the
world faces "a pandemic of vast proportions." Merson, in a
speech to be delivered Monday at a virology conference, said
that a cure for AIDS will not be found for years, and 8 million
individuals will have died of the disease by the end of the
century. To date, 2 million people have died from AIDS. Most of
the new deaths, said Merson, will be in eastern and central
Africa, where the adult death rate may triple in some nations.
By decade's end, according to WHO's calculations, the total of
HIV infections in men, women, and children will reach 30 to 40
million. As many as 10 million of the new cases could be in
babied infected in the womb, at birth, or via breast-feeding.
Merson noted that the rising number of HIV infections is also
leading to epidemics of related illnesses, such as
tuberculosis, which kills about 3 million people a year. Since
the AIDS virus was first identified 12 years ago, 2.5 million
cases of the disease have been reported. AIDS is the leading
cause of death in men and women aged 25-44 in New York, San
Francisco, and seven other U.S. cities. During the past year,
however, the virus been spreading extremely fast in Asia, Latin
America, and the Caribbean. According to Merson, combating HIV
infection hinges on recognizing how the disease spreads and
promoting safe sexual practices.


Immunity Booster to Be Tested
on Pregnant Women With HIV *
Washington Post (08/08/93) P. A8

In September, doctors at more than 40 U.S. medical centers will
begin trials of the immune-system booster HIVIG in 400 pregnant
women infected with the HIV virus. HIVIG is an immune globulin
that contains HIV antibodies. Researchers are hoping that the
experimental treatment will keep the virus from crossing the
placenta to the unborn babies. National Institutes of Health
researcher George Nemo warns, "HIVIG is not a vaccine. A
vaccine requires the person receiving it to mount an active
response against it, to produce antibodies. What we're doing is
giving them antibodies already produced by somebody else, but
in a highly concentrated form." Because the method of HIV
transmission from mother to child is still unknown, and because
only 30 percent become infected, the babies will also get an
infusion of HIVIG after they are born.


Testing Newborns for AIDS Virus Raises Issue
of Mothers' Privacy *
New York Times (08/08/93) P. A1
Navarro, Mireya

An expanding program in New York designed to test infants for
HIV and to treat them as quickly as possible has generated
controversy over the health needs of children and their
mothers' rights to privacy. The state of New York is now
considering a plan under which the results of HIV tests
conducted on newborns would be disclosed to mothers. While 44
states now anonymously test newborns in an effort to track the
progression of the spread of HIV, no states reveal who the
babies are, according to officials from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention. However, under the New York proposal,
all children would be tested and the results released. Because
HIV-positive infants are infected by their mothers, screening
infants for the disease would mean that their mothers are being
screened as well. The testing proposal conflicts with New
York's law on HIV testing, which requires that all people must
give written consent before testing, and must receive
counseling before and after testing. Such "informed consent"
laws are based on the premise that the spread of the disease
can be checked only if those who are infected modify their
behavior. Plan opponents say it conflicts with women's rights,
and jeopardizes the rights of those infected with the disease.
Advocates of the plan say women would want to know whether they
are infected if it means their children can be helped. New
treatments for infants infected with the virus can help them
live much longer.


Country Stars Mount AIDS Campaign *
United Press International (08/06/93)

Country music stars Mark Chesnutt and Mary-Chapin Carpenter
have been named co-chairs of the country music industry's
public service campaign aimed at raising awareness about AIDS.
The campaign will begin in January, and include TV, radio, and
print ads featuring 35 other country singers. Chesnutt
spearheaded the campaign after learning that the HIV virus is
spreading rapidly in the South, where country music is
immensely popular.


Exhibit Views AIDS Frankly for the Young *
New York Times (08/08/93) P. 29
Janofsky, Michael

The Franklin Institute Science Museum in Philadelphia, Pa., is
now exhibiting the "What About AIDS?" exhibit, developed in
conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention. The exhibit is designed to educate men and women
under the age of 20, who are often uncomfortable or confused
about issues related to the disease. The message of the exhibit
is that AIDS can happen to anyone. "We thought it was important
to have this kind of exhibit in a science museum, a neutral
place to talk about the issue," said the senior exhibit
director of the museum, Roberta G. Cook. The exhibit's
organization stemmed from discussions among science museum
officials around the country who thought their organizations
were logical places to address the issue of AIDS. A $500,000
grant from the disease centers was used to develop the
presentation, which will tour the country beginning Oct. 21,
when it officially opens in Philadelphia. The exhibit is
divided into three primary sections and explores the disease
from different viewpoints. A section titled "Protect Yourself"
is rated "PG 10" and features a video of actor Edward James
Olmos and a group of teenagers who discuss condom use, safe
sex, and abstinence. Father John Dennis of the Philadelphia
Archdiocese criticized the exhibit's blatant demonstration of
condom use, and said it encouraged teenagers to engage in
sexual activity, but otherwise praised the program.


Thalidomide and HIV: Background *
AIDS Treatment News (07/23/93) No. 179, P. 6
James, John S.

Recent reports about the use of thalidomide in treating certain
AIDS patients have revived hopes that the drug may be important
for the area of HIV therapy known as immune suppression.
Accounts released in early July show that thalidomide can help
some AIDS patients regain normal weight and that it can help
treat tuberculosis. One possible use of the drug is to slow
down viral activity in early stages of the disease; in late-
stage AIDS, it could be used to treat graft-versus-host
disease. Thirty-two previous reports on the drug's effects on
AIDS, published between February 1989 and February 1993,
suggest that thalidomide is highly effective in treating
aphthous ulcers but that because of side effects, physicians
prefer to try other treatments first.


APHA Goes to Court to Fight Use of AIDS as Gay Ban
Justification *
Nation's Health (07/93) Vol. 23, No. 6, P. 12

William Rubenstein of the American Civil Liberties Union asked
the American Public Health Association (APHA) to lend its
expertise in two suits, in an attempt to stop the AIDS crisis
from being used as a justification of the military ban on
homosexuals. The first case involves Joseph Steffan, who was
discharged from the Naval Academy because of his sexual
orientation. In a lower court ruling, a judge said that the
military's gay ban was justified by the AIDS epidemic, even
though the armed forces have never officially used the crisis
as an argument. APHA, the American Medical Association, and
other health groups joined in the appeal of the case, asking
the court to eliminate any association between AIDS prevention
and the gay ban. APHA asked the court to hear testimony from
health experts and the Pentagon's assistant secretary for
health affairs, Edward D. Martin. "Public health is not
advanced by blunt, group-based instruments such as excluding
all gay men, all African-Americans, or all Latinos from an
employment pool--even though each of those groups
disproportionately account for current AIDS cases in this
country," said APHA. APHA also emphasized that risky behavior
is not connected to sexual orientation but to specific acts
when it became involved in a challenge to Colorado's Amendment
2 ballot initiative, which eliminated the state's gay rights
laws.


Effect of Isoniazid Prophylaxis on Incidence of Active
Tuberculosis and Progression of HIV Infection *
Lancet (07/31/93) Vol. 342, No. 8866, P. 268
Pape, Jean W.; Jean, Simone S.; Ho, John L. et al.

Tuberculosis coinciding with human immunodeficiency virus
infections is a mounting public health problem. Half of Haitian
patients with AIDS have tuberculosis as a presenting
opportunistic infection. The CDC has recommended isoniazid
prophylaxis in HIV-seropositive individuals with positive PPD
skin reaction, although the efficacy of the drug in preventing
tuberculosis in those with HIV is unknown. Jean W. Pape et al.
at the Institut National de Laboratoire et de Recherches in
Port-au-Prince, Haiti, conducted a randomized clinical trial of
a 12-month course of isoniazid plus vitamin B6 to determine its
ability to prevent active tuberculosis in symptom-free HIV-
infected individuals. Also studied was the effect of
prophylaxis on the development of HIV disease, AIDS, and death.
The study involved 118 subjects, of which some received
isoniazid and B6 or B6 alone between 1986 and 1989. While
interim analysis indicated no difference between the two
groups, in 1992, isoniazid appeared to provide significant
protection against the development of tuberculosis for the
entire study population and for those subjects who tested
positive for purified protein derivative of tuberculin. The
reduction in incidence of tuberculosis with the drug fell from
10.0 to 1.7 per 100 person-years, similar to the 60-90 percent
efficacy rates seen in non-HIV-infected PPD-positive patients.
Isoniazid was also found to postpone progression of HIV
disease, AIDS, and death for the entire study population and
for the PPD-positive cohort, but not for the PPD-negative
individuals.


Charting the Spread of AIDS *
Science News (07/31/93) Vol. 144, No. 5, P. 68

Among the trends reported by the CDC in its update on AIDS is
the fact that for the first time, the number of U.S. AIDS cases
for women infected through heterosexual contact is greater than
that for women who were infected through intravenous drug use.
The CDC's update was published in the July 23 issue of
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. In a related commentary
in the July 28 Journal of the American Medical Association, the
heads of the National Commission on AIDS, June E. Osborn and
David E. Rogers, noted, "The trends are all in the direction of
a heterosexually transmitted disease." In 1992, the CDC
recorded 47,095 AIDS cases, up 3.5 percent from 1991. While the
absolute number of men with AIDS is still much higher than the
number of women, the number of AIDS cases rose four times
faster among women than men in 1992. Last year, half of the
diagnosed female AIDS cases were traced to heterosexual sex
with an infected partner, while only 44 percent were traced to
a woman's use of intravenous drugs. Nonetheless, drugs are
still an important factor in the spread of AIDS because of
women who were infected with HIV through heterosexual sex, 57
percent were sleeping with men who are drug abusers. According
to the CDC report, 10 metropolitan areas including New York
City and Washington, D.C., account for more than half the cases
among women. Nevertheless, warn Osborn and Rogers, the AIDS
epidemic is not limited to urban areas.


August 10, 1993

Firm Claims Success for Blood Substitute *
Journal of Commerce (08/10/93) P. 7A
Sheeler, Jim

Somatogen Inc. has announced a "major milestone" in its
research on a blood substitute. In the last set of clinical
tests, patients received the highest dosage (25 grams) of the
company's recombinant human hemoglobin molecule. Somatogen
established the 25-gram dosage because critics claimed last
year that trial levels remained too low. Patients received the
product, called rHb1.1, through intravenous administration. The
product performs the oxygen-delivering duties of natural blood
hemoglobin. According to David Mason, vice president of
clinical sciences, the company was unsure whether it could
reach the 25-gram dosage, which equals about one pint.
Somatogen noted that even at that dosage, the product didn't
indicate serious side effects. This news follows the
announcement that Somatogen will start testing in the fall on
anesthetized patients scheduled for surgery.


Digest: Life and Health Insurers... *
Washington Post (08/10/93) P. C1

Life and health insurers paid $1.4 billion in AIDS-related
claims in 1992, not including payments to self-insured
companies or Blue Cross and Blue Shield, according to a survey
by insurance groups.

Related Story: Journal of Commerce (08/10) P. 10A


Zynaxis Inc. Files With FDA to Market Zymmune *
Reuters (08/09/93)

Malvern, Penn.--Zynaxis, Inc. reported that it would submit a
510(k) notification Monday with the U.S. Food & Drug
Administration for marketing clearance on its Zymmune CD4/CD8
Cell Monitoring System. The Zymmune system provides counts for
CD4+ and CD8+ lymphocytes in under 35 minutes without the need
for trained technologists or specialized equipment. CD4+
lymphocytes are selectively destroyed in HIV infection, and a
reduced number of the cells are linked with a greater
susceptibility to disease. NIH recommends that HIV-positive
individuals be checked two to four times a year for CD4 cell
levels. CD8+ lymphocytes are useful as a means of monitoring
CD4 levels. "The Zymmune system is designed to provide a fast
and simple method of determining both CD4 and CD8 T lymphocyte
levels, and should better address global AIDS monitoring
markets than other products," said Martyn Greenacre, Zynaxis,
Inc. chairman and CEO. In the Zymmune system, flow cytometry
methods are commonly used to measure CD4 levels. The Zymmune
assay has shown high correlation values when compared to
conventional flow cytometry methods, and data indicate the
assay ends the problem of interference from cell populations
close to CD4 and CD8 cells. The market for flow cytometry
reagents is expected to climb to $300 million by the year 2000.


WHO Seeks Better Medical Education to Fight AIDS *
Reuters (08/09/93)

Edinburgh, Scotland--World Health Organization (WHO) executive
director Michael Merson said Tuesday that doctors treating AIDS
patients must begin to take into account patient opinions
concerning treatment and approaches. According to Merson, the
changes in doctor-patient relationships must be considered
during medical education, and should be applied to other long-
term illnesses. According to Merson, AIDS "poses a challenge to
medical education because of the kind of care it requires, the
approaches needed for AIDS prevention, and in its interactions
with society." Doctors, said Merson, need to look at patients
as allies and should involve them completely in the care
process. Existing medical school teaching programs should be
modified to combat AIDS and other diseases. "Medical education
needs rethinking precisely because AIDS is not unique. Many of
the features of AIDS can be seen in illnesses prevalent today
not only in the industrialized world but in developing
countries as well," said Merson.  Treating AIDS, he added,
should be comparable to treating other chronic illnesses such
as diabetes and arthritis.


Provinces Seek Deal in Blood Scandal *
Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (08/09/93) P. A1
Picard, Andre

Health officials from several Canadian provinces are
negotiating with the provincial heads of the Hemophilia Society
in an attempt to reach a settlement in the Canadian blood
crisis, which left more than 1,000 hemophiliacs and recipients
of blood transfusions infected with AIDS. Until now, attention
has been directed toward the Canadian government and the
country's Red Cross; however, a forthcoming inquiry into the
scandal is expected to focus on the Canadian Blood Committee,
the agency responsible for administering blood to the
provinces. The Committee has come under fire for delays in the
testing of the blood supply, and for its failure to expediently
issue heat-treated blood. Yesterday, a proposal was to be
introduced that would call for provinces to pay any person
infected with AIDS through tainted blood $30,000 per annum
until death. Moreover, the plan calls for the spouse of the
deceased to receive an additional $30,000 a year for five
years, and children to receive the same amount until the age of
twenty-one. A lump-sum payment of $100,000 would be paid to the
family, and the provinces would be responsible for funding four
years of college or post-secondary learning for the victim's
children. The facts that many provinces are facing shortages of
cash and victims' groups want the payments to be retroactive to
1989 are expected to complicate the prospects for a settlement.



AIDS-Thurmond Aide *
Associated Press (08/08/93)

Columbia, S.C.--Michael Boyle, an aide to Sen. Strom Thurmond
(R-S.C.), found out he had AIDS in 1986, but waited two years
to tell his lover and four to tell the senator, since he
realized that such a revelation could jeopardize his political
career. From 1991 until his death in April 1993, Boyle
continued to respect Thurmond, but changed some of his
political views, spoke out against funding cuts for AIDS
education, and finally voted for Bill Clinton. "He truly had a
mission," said Penny Lane, director of the Northern Virginia
AIDS Ministry, one of the many AIDS organizations for which
Boyle volunteered. "If his truth was going to help someone
else, they should know it -- so that none of the children would
have to sit in the chair where he was ten years from now," she
said. Boyle once said, "I was infected with HIV early in the
epidemic not because I am a gay man, but because I engaged in
high-risk behavior. I did not know that this activity would put
me at risk for anything, much less cut short my life. I was 23
years old. I was going to live forever and make a great success
of my life."


News Briefs: Political Battles Over HIV Education
Leave Teens Defenseless *
Nation's Health (07/93) Vol. 23, No. 6, P. 5

According to a report by the National Commission on AIDS, the
controversy over what form HIV education for young people
should take has become a target for much of the country's
anxiety about sexuality. The commission says that there is a
need for federal leadership on the issue and for legislation on
comprehensive services for youth. The report also recommended
that Congress eliminate some of the categorical funding
barriers that make it difficult to serve young people, and
increase special teacher training courses. It is important for
young people to be given a voice in the health care reform
debate, said the commission in its report, "Preventing HIV/AIDS
in Adolescents." The commission also issued a report in June on
how to handle AIDS issues in the workplace. The group called
for White House leadership again, and suggested that the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention improve its
connections between the public health community and businesses
in supplying technical assistance for workplace issues.

Doctors Help HIV-Positive Haitian Refugees Gain
Freedom From US Government Detention Camp *
Journal of the American Medical Association
(08/04/93) Vol. 270, No. 5, P. 563
Skolnick, Andrew A.

This June, Judge Sterling Johnson Jr. of the U.S. District
Court in Brooklyn, N.Y., ordered the government to immediately
release 247 HIV-infected Haitian refugees from a detention camp
at the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and bring them
to the United States for proper medical attention. In March,
Judge Johnson had ordered the release of 53 detainees who had
CD counts below a certain limit. Presenting expert testimony at
the trial were a group of about 12 physicians who visited the
camp at various times this year. The physicians reported that
the living conditions in the camp posed serious health hazards,
and that the medical care available at the camp was not
adequate to treat potential AIDS-related crises. Attorneys
representing the refugees met arguments that it would be
fiscally irresponsible for the United States to take in HIV-
infected refugees with figures showing that it costs U.S.
taxpayers between $500,000 and $1 million a month to maintain
the detention camp. Judge Johnson also found that U.S. Attorney
General Janet Reno's "obstinate refusal to parole Haitians with
HIV out of detention constitutes an abuse of the attorney
general's discretion" and illegal discrimination against a
particular group of people. He concluded, "The government's
continued imprisonment of the [refugees] serves no purpose
other than to punish them for being sick... The Haitians'
plight is a tragedy of immense proportion and their continued
detainment is totally unacceptable to this Court."


NIH Reauthorization Bill In, HIV-Infected Immigrants Out *
Nation's Health (07/93) Vol. 23, No. 6, P. 5

New legislation that President Clinton recently signed into law
reauthorizes the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and, among
other things, will encourage the training of researchers who
specialize in AIDS and reproductive health. Although bill
sponsors Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) and Sen. Edward Kennedy
(D-Mass.), as well as a number of health organizations,
objected to a provision that would codify the ban on HIV-
infected immigrants, the measure was included in the final
version of the legislation. In a letter sent to members of
Congress, the American Public Health Association (APHA) said,
"We cannot afford to send mixed messages about such a serious
disease as HIV infection. The public is not at risk of HIV from
casual contact.... As physicians and scientists concerned with
the health of Americans, we must say so." Although APPA objects
to the HIV-positive immigrant ban, it does support bans on
immigrants who have communicable diseases when there is
scientific proof that such diseases endanger public health.


August 11, 1993

Patients Laud Cuban AIDS Care *
Washington Post (08/11/93) P. A1
Farah, Douglas

Cuba has adopted a novel and successful means of preventing the
spread of AIDS. The country has established 13 sanitariums
across the country, where those infected with the disease are
provided with a special diet and medical treatment, and where
their contact with Cuban society is limited. Although the
sanitariums were initially criticized as serving as jails for
patients and were called inhumane, patients interviewed said
that they thought they were receiving optimal treatment in an
environment that did not add to the stress of having the
disease. It is thought that HIV arrived in Cuba with soldiers
who had served in Africa. The first case was recorded in 1986.
Now, the country has an extensive testing program, and promotes
the use of condoms and safe-sex practices. The spread of the
disease throughout the country so far has been arithmetic,
rather than geometric as in most countries, said Rigoberto
Torres, the head of epidemiology at El Maranon, one sanitarium.
The success of the country's AIDS program is attributed to its
treatment of AIDS as a public health issue. At the sanitariums,
patients are permitted to leave the grounds one day a week if
accompanied, and can study or work for up to four hours a day.
Patients, after staying in the sanitarium for a certain period,
are evaluated, and if considered sufficiently responsible, are
allowed out on weekends unaccompanied. While those who test
positive for HIV are not required to live in the sanitariums,
they are pressured to do so.


AIDS Ed Changes Students' Behavior *
USA Today (08/11/93) P. 1D
Painter, Kim

A new study reports that a short but intense AIDS education
program positively affected behavior among New York City high
school students. While the number of students who reduced their
risks through behavioral changes was small, the Journal of the
American Medical Association reports that any change is
significant because of the program's limitations. Heather
Walter, head of the Columbia University study, noted, "This
shows even a minimal dose of intervention can at least lay the
groundwork." The study involved 1,316 9th and 11th graders in
four schools. Of the students, 739 took the AIDS course and 577
did not. Participating students were taught about AIDS
transmission and prevention, and were taught "how to say no to
sex, how to insist that a condom be used and how to use a
condom correctly," said Walter. The students, when questioned
three months later, were 5 percent to 8 percent more likely
than the non-participating students to say that they had
altered their behavior in some way to reduce their risks.
However, the program had no effect on abstinence. Walter noted
that much more education is required, and Ralph DiClemente of
the University of California pointed out the need for school
and community programs in which teens teach each other.


One-Fourth of British Condom Brands Fail Safety Test *
United Press International (08/10/93)

London--Nine out of 34 brands of British-made condoms failed to
meet new European safety standards that will replace British
standards later this year, according to a consumer magazine
called "Which? way to Health." Three of the failing brands
carried the British Standard Kitemark, a seal indicating that
the product had met British Standards Institution safety
requirements. The magazine said British standards were a
"reasonable guide to quality, but there's room for
improvement." Magazine editor David Dickinson said, "Condoms
can save lives. They are very effective at protecting against
sexually transmitted diseases and HIV infection, as well as
preventing unplanned pregnancies. But they are not infallible.
Some brands are clearly more reliable than others, although our
tests show poor quality condoms are thankfully few and far
between." Suppliers of the failed brands have agreed to recall
all affected stocks of the condoms.


WHO Cites "Important Progress" on Vaccine Against AIDS *
United Press International (08/09/93)

Geneva--On Monday, Dr. Michael Merson, head of the World Health
Organization's AIDS program, said work on a vaccine against
AIDS is proceeding, but such a vaccine is still far away.
Merson, who was speaking before a virology congress in Glasgow,
Scotland, said, "The progress to date on HIV vaccine
development is encouraging but there must be no let-up in
research to develop a safe, effective, and universally
available vaccine." Slowing the spread of the disease is not
enough, said Merson. "We need a vaccine to complement our
existing prevention strategies," he said. "AIDS is already
devastating some societies and the worst is yet to come." HIV-
seronegative volunteers have been tested with 13 candidate
vaccines since 1987. While the vaccines have all been well-
tolerated, safe, and capable of prompting greater immune
responses, "no information is available yet on their efficacy
in preventing or delaying the onset of AIDS," said Merson. He
added that an AIDS prevention program in developing countries
incorporating safe sex education and condom distribution would
cost $1.5 billion to $2.9 billion a year and would reduce the
number of new adult infections from 20 million to 10 million
this decade.


WHO Says Well-Funded Program Could Cut AIDS Toll *
Reuters (08/09/93)
Forrester, James

Glasgow, Scotland--World Health Organization official Dr.
Michael Merson said many of the 30 million to 40 million people
expected to become infected with HIV by the end of the century
could avoid the disease if education programs are better-
funded. "If the investment is made--$1.5 to $2.9 billion a
year, that's not a lot of money in the developing world--if we
could find those resources and apply them in the right way then
we could cut down the number of new infections by half by the
year 2000," said Merson. Merson, who spoke at the Ninth
International Virology Conference, said in his keynote speech
that most deaths would be in eastern and central Africa, where
in some countries the adult death rate may triple. "There is no
doubt that the development of a safe and effective vaccine
would offer an invaluable addition to our control efforts,"
said Merson, although he added that no vaccine is yet ready.
According to Merson, as many as 10 million of the new HIV cases
would be among babies. Since the disease was first recognized
12 years ago, there have been 2.5 million cases of AIDS, of
which 70 percent were in sub-Saharan Africa. Among some groups
of intravenous drug users in Burma and India, HIV infection has
grown to 50 percent in four years. HIV cases have also been
spreading quickly in Latin America and the Caribbean.


Hemophiliacs Reject Compensation Package *
Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (08/10/93) P. A1
Mickleburgh, Rod

A financial package proposed by Ontario officials to compensate
the hundreds of Canadians infected with HIV through
contaminated blood was rejected by representatives of
hemophiliacs. The proposal, presented at a Toronto meeting
Tuesday, "was a long way from what we need," said Tom Alloway,
president of Hemophilia Ontario. A provincial committee of
assistant deputy health ministers from all Canadian provinces
but Quebec and Nova Scotia attended the meeting. Details of the
package were not released, but it was said to provide a $30,000
yearly payment to each infected individual for four years. The
government would stop payment if the patient died, but a
surviving spouse would receive $50,000 and each surviving child
would receive $10,000. More than 1,000 Canadians, primarily
hemophiliacs, were infected with contaminated blood products
before the Canadian screening process for donated blood went
into effect in 1985. An inquiry into the infections has been
started, with critics contending that many people were infected
needlessly due to authorities' sluggish effort to protect the
country's blood supply. Hemophilia organizations want a lump
sum of $100,000 to be given to each individual or surviving
family, along with annual payments of $30,000 to infected
individuals while they live, and continued payments after their
death to spouses for at least five years or until all surviving
children reach the age of 21.


In the Name of Charity *
Advocate (08/10/93) No. 635, P. 42

Although AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA) raised more than $1
million with its annual fashion event on June 3, the fund-
raiser honoring Calvin Klein angered many AIDS activists. "It
makes my skin crawl," says Rodger McFarlane, executive director
of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. "A couple hundred grand
from Calvin Klein is an obscene joke. He is independently
wealthy, and it's pocket change he's come up with! Honoring him
is one of the most cynical moments in fund-raising history."
Others believe that cynicism is a necessary part of making
money for worthy causes. APLA events manager Diane Connors
defends the choice of Klein by saying, "This is not a noble
thing, but these events are fund-raisers, and maybe not
everybody is as deserving as somebody else. But if someone more
deserving can't afford to do this event for us and can't sell
the tickets for us, then they can be deserving all they want.
If we're not raising money, then we've missed the boat."
According to the National Community AIDS Partnership, 75
percent of all money donated to fight AIDS comes from
fundraising events. Activists say the situation arose because
the government and corporate America pushed the responsibility
of AIDS onto the private sector. "Because [AIDS organizations]
have limited development resources,...enough attention isn't
paid to cultivating major donors into writing checks for the
endowment," says Kevin Garrity, a major APLA donor who sits on
many of the group's committees.


Dingell Pursues AIDS Patent 'Cover-Up' *
Science (07/30/93) Vol. 261, No. 5121, P. 539

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) has launched an investigation into
a patent controversy surrounding researcher Robert Gallo and
the discovery of the AIDS virus. Dingell has hinted that a
forthcoming report from his office will show that officials at
the Department of Health and Human Services "may have willfully
ignored and...actively suppressed" evidence that Gallo
exaggerated his role in discovering the virus. Dingell has
suggested that the HHS officials conducted themselves in this
unprofessional manner in order to secure "international
prestige and significant financial rewards" by patenting an
AIDS blood-test technique based on Gallo's research. Former HHS
official Lowell Harmison dismissed Dingell's allegations,
calling the investigation "a fishing expedition--a complete
waste of the taxpayers' money."


Study to Assess TB Treatments in AIDS Patients *
American Pharmacy (08/93) Vol. NS33, No. 8, P. 16

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has
introduced the first massive American study to determine
tuberculosis treatment goals for HIV-infected people. Study
participants will include as many as 650 HIV-infected patients
with active TB. Experimenters will analyze the addition of
fluoroquinolone levofloxacin to the normal four-drug regimen
used in geographic areas where drug-resistant TB is widespread.
Patients living in areas without widespread drug-resistant TB
will get isoniazid, rifampin, ethambutol, and pyrazinamide.


August 12, 1993


Where AIDS Advances, Understanding Lags *
New York Times (08/12/93) P. B1
Schemo, Diana Jean

People infected with AIDS who dwell in the nation's larger
cities benefit from support groups, and, in the words of one
AIDS spokesman, "a close-knit, cohesive community." However,
for those people who live in more suburban areas, battling the
deadly effects of AIDS is not their only worry. In Long Island,
where over 2,834 cases of AIDS have been reported through May
of 1993, the magnitude of the disease--Long Island has the
country's highest suburban AIDS rate--does not necessarily
translate into tolerance. Those infected speak of a sense of
isolation that can permeate the work place and inner-family as
well. Moreover, discrimination, while technically illegal, can
lead to the loss of one's job, insurance, housing, and even
friendships. It follows that many AIDS carriers living in
suburbia vehemently try to avoid detection, as fear of losing
these aforementioned things, as well as being deprived of one's
respect and dignity exacerbate the daily struggles of coping
with the virus. One Long Island man says he was shunned at work
because news that his daughter has died of AIDS leaked out.
Another free-lance writer says his articles are no longer
accepted at a local newspaper due to his participation in an
article chronicling the lives of older AIDS sufferers. Further
instances of an AIDS victim's own family member calling for the
genocide of all AIDS patients, or the child who says her AIDS-
infected mother is dying from cancer, emphasize the stark
reality of the prejudice and abhorrence that are associated
with AIDS. One advocate for AIDS education says it is the
prevailing ignorance about the disease, festered by the
failings of parents to discuss it with their children, which
leads to wide-spread intolerance and misunderstanding.


Cutbacks Weaken Front Lines in AIDS Battle *
Reuters (08/11/93)
Davidson, Ros

The AIDS wards at San Francisco General Hospital may be
threatened because of possible funding reductions at the public
hospital. About 10 years old, the wards face budget reductions
and personnel turnover like other AIDS sites as the disease
spreads. As a global model for medical care in AIDS care, Ward
5A, with 20 beds, and Ward 86, the outpatient care clinic, are
the oldest American hospital wards devoted to people with AIDS.
Both wards concentrate on an approximate one-third of people in
San Francisco with HIV, according to hospital spokeswoman
Gloria Rodriguez. San Francisco has about 28,000 people with
HIV, higher than any other western city. However, Ward 5A's
personnel learned that 18 percent to 49 percent of workers may
be replaced beginning this month. Previously, all the workers
volunteered for their positions, and a waiting list exists
despite the taxing work of the ward. Following the budget
reductions, the hospital will assign workers based on seniority
as other hospital employees are let go. The changes will
disrupt procedures, noted Diane Jones, head of the staff of 28
nurses. Cutbacks on Ward 86 may reach $800,000 next fiscal year
out of a total city budget of $2 million to $2.5 million, said
J.B. Mologhan, head nurse.


Transfusion Patients Blast Blood Deal *
Toronto Globe and Mail (08/11/93) P. A6
Mickleburgh, Rod

Patients who contracted the AIDS virus through normal blood
transfusions are joining infected hemophiliacs to denounce
Canada's newly proposed compensation package. The package would
provide $30,000 a year for four years to any Canadian infected
through the blood distribution system, as well as a lump-sum
payment of $50,000 to the spouse or family of each infected
person who has succumbed, plus $10,000 to each surviving child.
HIV-T Chairman Jerry Freise criticizes, "It simply does not
meet the long-term needs of those who were infected through the
medical system." Freise points out that the proposal includes
nothing for homemaking or home nursing care and nothing to
cover the high costs of drugs used to treat HIV and AIDS
patients. Opponents of the proposal seem to find the most fault
with the provinces' demand that anyone accepting the deal sign
a waiver, which forces patients to give up the right to pursue
legal action against Canadian blood authorities. Five provinces
were actively involved in creating the proposed package, while
Manitoba, Newfoundland and Prince Edward Island are preferring
to watch from the sidelines.


Compensation for Tainted Blood *
Toronto Globe and Mail (08/11/93) P. A18

Much attention has been given to the dispute over compensation
for more than 1,000 Canadians who contracted AIDS from tainted
blood. Although in 1990 all provincial governments agreed to
take a do-nothing approach on the compensation issue, Nova
Scotia broke ranks in April and became the first province to
agree to compensate its residents. Now, more and more provinces
are following Nova Scotia's lead. A public inquiry will start
up in the fall which will look into the failure of Canada's
blood system to prevent AIDS contamination before a national
donor screening program was implemented in 1985. This week,
senior civil servants met with officials from hemophilia
organizations and representatives of blood-transfusion patients
to discuss such matters. Nova Scotia is being used as model. It
pays $30,000 a year for life to those infected by contaminated
blood, a $50,000 death benefit to the surviving family, $5,000
for funeral expenses, and four years of post-secondary
education for surviving children and spouses.


Teen Struggles After Going Public With HIV Infection *
t(Baltimore Sun (08/12/93) P. 16A

Sherry Johnson, the 18-year-old Florida woman whose dentist
infected her with the AIDS virus, says she is not ready to take
on the role of crusader. Johnson is Patient I, the sixth
patient of the late Dr. Dave Acer known to be infected with the
HIV virus. Johnson, like Kimberly Bergalis three years ago, has
become a much sought after subject of the national news
agencies. Like that of the five others before her, Johnson's
strain of the virus almost perfectly matches Acer's strain.
Johnson says the hardest part of the whole ordeal has been that
she's had to tell her father she's had sex with six of her
boyfriends, which she claims the media has picked up on and
exploited.


Study: AIDS Fear Cuts Emergency Aid *
Chicago Tribune (08/11/93) P. 4-1
Vogt, Amanda

A growing number of healthcare professionals refuse to give
mouth-to-mouth resuscitation or CPR to accident victims for
fear of contracting AIDS, a new study suggests. Nearly 50
percent of internists and 80 percent of nurses are reluctant to
do mouth-to-mouth on strangers, according to Dr. Barry Brenner
of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Mouth-to-Mouth resuscitation
gives oxygen during heart attacks, suspected drug overdoses,
and near drownings. Healthcare professionals believe the risk
of contracting HIV is higher than the actual minimal risk,
Brenner notes. Most of the scientific results indicate that HIV
antibodies may exist in saliva but not the virus, according to
Dr. Jane Kauffman of the Loma Linda School of Medicine. What
concerns the doctors is direct contact with open sores or blood
in the mouth, Kauffman adds. Brenner and Kauffman surveyed 600
doctors and nurses about how they would respond in hypothetical
situations. About three-fourths answered that they would
perform mouth-to-mouth on a child or someone they knew. Only 10
percent to 15 percent of the interviewees responded they would
give oxygen to men they suspected were homosexuals.


Star-Studded Show Offers Frank Talk on AIDS *
United Press International (08/11/93)
Kuklenski, Valerie

Producers of "In a New Light 93," an upcoming TV special on
AIDS, promise that the show will feature blunt language about
the deadly disease never before allowed on primetime. The ABC
program will air Sept. 4, and will feature such big-name stars
as Dustin Hoffman, Elizabeth Taylor, and Luke Perry offering
personal insights into AIDS, and relating some of the facts and
statistics surrounding the disease. Lovett Productions
spokesman Barry Cherin says that some of the stars even broke
down and cried during the recent taping as they spoke of
friends that they have lost to AIDS, which has been especially
devastating on the entertainment industry. Host Paula Abdul
will inform the audience at the outset that 12 million new
cases of sexually transmitted diseases were recorded in 1992,
including AIDS. The special will also deal with how the HIV
virus is passed on and the proper use of condoms. The show will
features some light moments, including comedy routines by
Elaine Boosler and Lily Tomlin, as well as some musical
performances by such diverse performers as Clint Black, Elton
John, and Barry Manilow.


Daiichi Pharmaceutical to Run TB Drug Tests in China *
Nikkei Weekly (Japan) (08/02/93) Vol. 31, No. 1580, P. 12

China has requested that Daiichi Pharmaceutical Co. conduct
clinical trials on the effects of synthetic anti-bacterial
compounds against multiple drug-resistant tuberculosis in that
nation. Daiichi's trials will concentrate on the effects of new
quinolone synthetic anti-bacterial compounds such as the
company's Tarivid and Cravit. The World Health Organization has
asked Daiichi to offer its drugs for research on TB that is
multiple drug resistant. TB has increased among AIDS patients
and Third World residents.


Court Favors Drug 'Concept' Over Proof *
Science (07/30/93) Vol. 261, No. 5121, P. 545
Anderson, Christopher

A federal court in North Carolina has ruled that Burroughs
Wellcome is the sole owner of the patent on AZT, rejecting the
claims of two generic drug manufacturers that a pair of
scientists from the National Institutes of Health should be
designated as co-inventors of the HIV treatment. Barr
Laboratories Inc. and Novopharm Inc. argued unsuccessfully that
Samuel Broder and Hiroaka Mitsuya of the NIH's National Cancer
Institute helped Burroughs invent AZT because they first proved
that the drug is effective against HIV. The NIH granted Barr a
license to sell a generic version of AZT in 1991 in an effort
to force Burroughs to lower its AZT price. However, Burroughs
filed a patent-infringement suit against Barr and Novopharm,
which also hopes to sell a generic version of AZT. Judge
Malcolm Howard said Burroughs was entitled to hold the AZT
patent by itself because the company had a "formulation in
mind" for the use of AZT as an HIV treatment before soliciting
the efforts of Broder and Mitsuya. The judge determined that
Burroughs developed the product and suggested a potential use,
while the NIH researchers merely showed that the product is
effective. "For conception to be complete, the law does not
require an idea to be proven to actually work," he said. Barr
and Novopharm said they plan to appeal the ruling.

August 13, 1993

A Thinner Condom Is Said to Allow More Sensation *
Philadelphia Inquirer (08/13/93) P. A2
Ritter, Malcolm

The London International Group, a British company that sells
Ramses and Sheik latex condoms, will introduce a new
polyurethane condom in the United States next year.
Polyurethane is thinner than latex, can be used with oil-based
lubricants, and is said to allow for greater sensitivity.
Robert Hatcher, a gynecology professor at Emory University
School of Medicine, said, "I'm very excited that there is now
an alternative to latex condoms which will be effective at
preventing the transmission of the AIDS virus." Polyurethane
condoms will be more expensive than latex ones, but less
expensive than lamb tissue products.


Houston AIDS Specialist Sues HMO That Tossed Him Out *
Knight-Ridder (08/13/93)

AIDS doctor Joseph C. Gathe Jr. is suing the Cigna Healthplan
of Texas, alleging that the HMO dropped him from its network of
physicians because it didn't approve of the level of care he
provided. Gathe said, "Obviously there needs to be better and
more cost-effective medical care, but it can't be at the
expense of patient care." A recent memorandum from the Texas
Department of Insurance said, "It has come to the department's
attention that some insurers are refusing to allow otherwise
qualified practitioners to participate on the grounds that the
insurer does not need any more providers, or does not need any
more providers in a particular area. That type of limitation is
not acceptable." A recent trend of doctors suing their former
HMOs raises a question about upcoming health care reform: Who
decides what is appropriate care, the payers or the doctors?


TB Rising Among Pregnant Women -- CDC *
Reuters (08/12/93)
Schwartz, Jerry

Between 1985 and 1990, five pregnant women were found to have
tuberculosis in several New York Hospitals; but between 1990
and 1992, the number rose to 11, according to a study by the
Centers for Disease Control. The CDC said that although New
York has a high TB rate, it believes the increase reflects a
nationwide trend. The problem is especially severe among women
with HIV because "these are women who do not come into contact
with the health care system in other settings...if they are
seen during their pregnancy, we want obstetricians and
gynecologists to be aware of the possibility of TB," said Dr.
Ann Duerr, chief of the CDC's Women's Health and Fertility
Branch. The study is included in the CDC's "Morbidity and
Mortality Weekly Report."


Red Cross Hires Lobby Firm to Deal With Criticisms *
Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (08/12/93) P. A5
Mickleburgh, Rod

The Canadian Red Cross has hired a major lobbying firm to fend
off criticism of the organization's role in the nation's
tainted blood affair. More than 1,000 Canadians were infected
through blood contaminated with the AIDS virus. A public
inquiry into the matter is planned. The Canadian Red Cross has
been accused of being partially responsible for the delay in
implementing a national program during the 1980s to test all
blood donations for the presence of HIV, a charge the
organization denies. Dozens of lawsuits from infected
individuals have been filed against the Red Cross, a number of
hospitals, and several provinces. The lobbying firm, GPC
Government Policy Consultants, has many powerful clients
ranging from the generic drug industry to financial
institutions.


AIDS Babies Pay the Price *
New York Times (08/13/93) P. A26

Health-care providers in New York State try to protect the
privacy of mothers infected with the AIDS virus, so that they
will be more likely to voluntarily cooperate with the health
system. However, this has resulted in about 200 newborn babies
a year infected with the AIDS virus leaving the hospital
"without anyone lifting a finger to identify or care for them,"
write the editors of the New York Times. The identity of
infected newborns could easily be identified, but would involve
giving test results to the mothers, thus a proxy test for them.
Health providers worry that involuntary tests would drive
people underground, thus doing more harm than good. In the end,
argues the Times, "those dangers seem hypothetical and pale
compared with the concrete fact that hundreds of babies are
being neglected from whom something useful might be done." The
editorial urges the passage of a bill introduced in the New
York State Legislature requiring that test results on newborns
be given to the parents.


Increased Recurrence of Tuberculosis
in HIV-1-Infected Patients in Kenya *
Lancet (08/07/93) Vol. 342, No. 8867, P. 332
Hawken, Mark et. al

Tuberculosis patients generally respond well to a standard
regimen of thiacetazone treatments, although a study of 196 TB
patients in Kenya indicates that patients infected with HIV-1
are 34 times more likely to suffer a recurrent TB infection
than those not infected with HIV-1. Approximately 70 percent of
the HIV-1-positive patients who showed TB recurrence exhibited
cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions to thiacetazone treatments
and were switched to ethambutol-based therapies. For the HIV-1-
positive patients, TB recurrence rates did not vary between
those whose conditions met the WHO definition of AIDS and those
whose conditions failed to meet the WHO definition. Also,
initial drug resistance and total white-cell counts had no
bearing on TB recurrence rates. Researchers Dr. Mark Hawken et
al. concluded that HIV-1-infected "patients with a history of
cutaneous hypersensitivity reaction to thiacetazone were at
particular risk of recurrence." They suggested that because
cutaneous hypersensitivity occurs in 20 percent of HIV-1
patients, "ideally, thiacetazone-containing regimens should be
avoided in HIV-1-positive patients and regimens containing
rifampicin in both initial and continuation phases should be
used." However, the researchers acknowledged that "rifampicin
is too expensive for many countries" and suggested an
alternative treatment using "two months' isoniazid, rifampicin,
pyrazinamide, and ethambutol (2HRZE/6HE)."


Alabama Pharmacies Offer AIDS Education *
American Pharmacy (08/93) Vol. NS33, No. 8, P. 18

More than 1,000 Alabama pharmacies have become part of a
statewide public education promotion offering data about AIDS
prevention and treatment. The campaign, "Facts from your
Pharmacist: Answers About AIDS," aims to promote pharmacists as
accessible sources of data regarding HIV and AIDS. Pharmacists
that wanted to be part of the campaign attended seminars
offered at Samford University School of Pharmacy in Birmingham,
Ala. At the lectures, the pharmacists received free
informational pamphlets to give out to patients. The brochures
were titled, "A Parent's Guide to Talking About AIDS,"
"Information About Testing & Counseling," "Questions and
Answers: Get the Latest Facts," and "How to Use and Talk About
Condoms." Pharmacists will also display a poster, "Ask Your
Pharmacist About AIDS," and provide patients with information
hotline numbers. Nine major drug and chain pharmacies will
participate in the program, as will the Alabama Pharmacy Co-op,
which represents 514 independent outlets. The Foundation of
Pharmacists and Corporate America for AIDS Education are
sponsoring the campaign with the help of the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. FPCA intends to expand the
promotion to other states if it proves successful.


Rational Suicide and HIV Disease *
Focus (07/93) Vol. 8, No. 8, P. 5
Jones, James R. and Dilley, James W.

Suicidal inclinations among AIDS patients are extremely common
as the patients constantly reevaluate the quality of their
lives. One recent study indicates that people infected with HIV
may be up to 40 times more likely to consider suicide than
members of the general population, although other surveys have
reported levels of suicide risk among AIDS patients at similar
levels as those for the general public. Experts say factors
that may influence the suicide risk for HIV-infected people
include the stage of the disease and characteristics of groups
at high risk of contracting AIDS. In a survey conducted by the
AIDS Health Project, 44 percent of the HIV-positive respondents
showed no signs of depression, while 32 percent exhibited mild
depression and 24 percent showed moderate depression. Eighteen
percent said they knew someone "who planned and successfully
completed a rational suicide," and 67 percent said they had
considered committing rational suicide at some time after they
learned they were HIV positive. Also, 64 percent of the
respondents said they approved of rational suicide in some
cases, while 33 percent said they were uncertain about it and 3
percent said they were opposed to it.


NOTE:  Compilation by Michael Tidmus : AIDSwire. All rights
reserved. Permission is granted to republish on electronic
media for which no fee is charged, provided the complete text
of this notice is attached to any republished portion or
portions.

* From the AIDS Daily Summary. The Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse has made this
information available as a public service only. Providing this
information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC
Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this
text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold. Copyright
1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD.

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