-----===[[[ A I D S w i r e D I G E S T 10.18.93 ]]]===----- Curb on Blood Products May Spark Trade Dispute * Financial Times (Great Britain) (10/18/93) P. 16 Cookson, Clive A new trade dispute is forming as the European Community positions itself to restrict and eventually ban American imports of blood plasma and related products. Europe uses 11.1 million pints of plasma each year. Half of this product, worth about $650 million annually, comes from paid donors in the United States. In 1989, however, after several thousand Europeans were infected with the AIDS virus that contaminated blood products primarily from the United States, the European Community began working toward the goal of "self-sufficiency through voluntary unpaid donations." Little had been actually done to achieve this goal until this year, but now European nations, led by Belgium, France, and the Netherlands, are formulating measures to phase out imports. Advocates of self-sufficiency and voluntary donations contend that paid donors are more likely than volunteers to have sexually transmitted diseases and blood-borne viruses. Commercial manufacturers, however, counter that procedures for screening and eliminating infections are superior in America. "European self-sufficiency is a trade barrier and any attempt to stop $650m worth of US imports on 'safety' grounds is unjustified protectionism," declared Bob Reilly, executive director of the International Plasma Products Industry Association. AIDS Camp Plea: Pass Reform Plan * USA Today (10/18/93) P. 10A Price, Richard For people with HIV/AIDS, the Clinton health care plan is the most critical public-policy issue affecting them today. Because the plan would guarantee all Americans health insurance and prescription coverage, including people with "pre-existing conditions," infected persons as well as the health care providers who treat them are pleading for Congress to pass the proposal. Advocates for AIDS coverage were fearful that budget concerns would limit care for terminal patients, and that experimental AIDS treatments would not be covered. As it is now, tens of thousands of HIV-infected individuals go untreated or under-treated. Of all HIV-infected persons, 47 percent are forced to turn to public assistance, and some are bankrupt. Others, although in good health, are trapped in jobs because switching positions would result in the loss of insurance. As drafted, President Clinton's health reform would shift the major issue in the lives of AIDS patients from money to health. "I see [the plan] as a great plus," says Paul Volberding, a physician and professor who operates San Francisco General Hospital's AIDS program. "In many areas of this country, the access of people with HIV infection to health care is severely limited. That's wrong." Experts Fear a 'Temptation to Undertreat' * USA Today (10/18/93) P. 10A Price, Richard While the chair of the American Foundation on AIDS Research board supports President Clinton's health plan, she has concerns about the treatment of terminally ill patients under the plan. "There is an incentive to avoid excessive expense," says Mathilde Krim, "and for people who have a disease that is considered incurable, the temptation will be to undertreat .... Physicians may well adopt the attitude that treatment of people with conditions like this is a waste of money." Krim and other experts have a bevy of other concerns, including the lack of details for home care and long-term care and the lack of discussion about the coverage of "off-label uses" of prescription drugs--that is, treating patients with drugs intended for other conditions. Experts also fear that Congress may cut AIDS programs, such as the Ryan White Care Act, in order to balance the budget. The fact that the plan would subsidize premiums for low-income people, but not for co-payments on drugs and treatment is another aspect to which experts take issue. Finally, say experts, undocumented immigrants, who include many high-risk groups in big cities, would not be covered except for emergency-room care. Taking a Walk for AIDS Awareness * Philadelphia Inquirer (10/18/93) P. B1 Zucchino, David Twelve thousand participants in Philadelphia's seventh annual AIDS walk raised $625,000 on Sunday to benefit 36 different organizations providing AIDS care, education, and prevention in the region. The diverse group of walkers were entertained by street singers, jugglers, and clowns as they walked the seven-and-a-half mile stretch. Afterwards, volunteers served thousands of free picnic lunches donated by area businesses. "People of the Delaware Valley are taking ownership of this epidemic," said Eric Wichner, an organizer of the walk. "They realize AIDS is not just a disease of gays or drug users or blacks. It affects everyone." The event was sponsored by All Walks of Life, an organization created in response to the AIDS epidemic in 1987. According to the group, 5,211 people in the Philadelphia area have been infected with the virus since 1981. Jury Gives Go-Ahead for AIDS Patient to Use Marijuana * Reuters (10/16/93) San Diego, Calif.--After two hours of deliberation, a jury said that it was okay for a man with AIDS to use marijuana to combat symptoms of the disease. Samuel Skipper, 39, faced five to six years in prison after drug agents seized more that 40 marijuana plants from his La Mesa, Calif., home. The San Diego Superior Court jury agreed with Skipper's defense that the illicit drug relieves the nausea and weight loss associated with his condition, and found him not guilty of felony charges stemming from his cultivation of the plant. This was the first case in which a jury was asked to determine the legality of growing pot for medical purposes, according to defense witness Bob Randall, a leading advocate for the medicinal use of marijuana. Randall, who has glaucoma, is one of only nine people in the United States who are legally permitted to use marijuana for medical reasons. In a 1990 case, a Florida judge ruled against a couple with AIDS who claimed to need the drug for medicinal purposes; however, that conviction was overturned a year later, said Randall. Until 1991, Americans were allowed to get pot with a prescription to relieve symptoms of certain illnesses, but that policy was halted by the Bush administration. Men Want Bigger Condoms, Study Finds * United Press International (10/14/93) London--Nearly one out of five men surveyed at a clinic complained that standard, one-size-fits-all condoms are too tight, report researchers. Dr. Stuart J. Tovey and colleagues at Guy's Hospital in London questioned 281 men about condom use. They found that 25 percent had trouble putting on the condom. Of the 19 percent who said condoms were too tight, 73 percent reported having a condom come off during sex and 68 percent of those reported the condom splitting. Condoms tend to slip off if they do not cover the entire organ, Tovey explained. He also pointed out that most manufacturers do not provide a variety of condom sizes, and sell only standard size condoms, which measure 2 1/12 inches in accordance with guidelines from the British Standard Institute. Tovey said that the failure to provide larger ones may cause sexually active men to not use condoms, which reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. "The results of our study indicate that tightness of condoms is an important factor in their failure and suggest that a larger condom may be needed by some individuals," the researchers said. Tovey reports that "over a third of penises exceed the British Standard Institute's standard dimensions for condoms," and said that prophylactics measuring 2 1/2 inches would be helpful. Australia--AIDS--Aborigines * Associated Press (10/15/93) Adelaide, Australia--Because of ceremonial sharing of blood, as well as a general absence of safe sex practices, Australian aborigines are at high risk of devastation by AIDS, according to the findings of a state inquiry. HIV is spreading rapidly, and some aborigines have already died from the disease, said the report by South Australian Parliament's Social Development Committee. Alcohol abuse and the lack of "cultural sanctions against multiple sex partners" contribute to unsafe sex and transmission of the virus, stated the report. Also, in many rituals, aborigines cut themselves with a stick or rock and risk spreading the disease by sharing the cutting object, the report concluded. Street Interviews Indicate High Rate of HIV Testing * United Press International (10/15/93) Atlanta--Anonymous street interviews indicate that groups at high risk for contracting the AIDS virus may actually be getting HIV testing in larger numbers than the figures cited in national surveys. Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention questioned people in areas of Los Angeles with a high incidence of drug abuse and prostitution. Seventy-one percent of the intravenous drug users, female partners of IV drug users, and female prostitutes who participated said they had been tested for HIV infection, according to the CDC. Findings from the agency's 1989 National Health Interview Survey concluded that only 41.5 percent of Americans at increased risk of AIDS were tested for the virus and that testing rates were lower among minorities and those with less than secondary education. Popular Hispanic Actress Reveals She's HIV-Positive * United Press International (10/14/93) New York--Popular Hispanic actress Ilka Tanya Payan, who is also a New York City human rights commissioner, revealed Thursday that she has been HIV positive for 13 years. Payan said at a press conference that she kept her condition secret because she feared "discrimination, rejection, dishonor and disgrace," but added that she refuses "to continue to live like this." Payan said she contracted the virus from a sexual affair in 1981, and tested positive for HIV in 1986. "Your determination to illustrate that people with HIV are productive members of society will serve as a source of inspiration to all, but particularly to the women and members of the Latino community who are struggling with the terrible impact of this disease," wrote Mayor David Dinkins in a letter to Payan. She has been an AIDS activist since the onslaught of the epidemic. Payan is a practicing attorney with an immigration law practice and her own newspaper column. She has been central to the Spanish-speaking theater in New York, and has had several television roles, including appearances on HBO and Telemundo. Payan said she hopes her act "will at least serve other people living in fear of disclosure of HIV to make an informed decision about their privacy and not one based on fear and shame." October 19, 1993 Four Local TV Stations Reject Clinic's Condom Ad * Washington Post (10/19/93) P. C1 Edwards, Ellen AIDS activists are incensed by the actions of four Washington, D.C.-area television stations, which rejected an ad from the Whitman-Walker clinic that advocates condom use. WRC, WJLA, and WUSA claim to have declined the ad on the grounds that they do not accept any condom ads at all. The fourth station, WTTG, says that it would consider a modified version of the ad. The spots feature unwrapped, but unrolled, condoms as changing voices spout dozens of slang terms for the prophylactics. According to Whitman-Walker executive director Jim Graham, the clinic tried to purchase air time on late-night TV in the hopes of reaching a sexually active audience. He claims that language was the primary reason for rejection of the ad. "I think the problem is these stations are out of touch with just how compelling AIDS prevention is in this city," said Graham. The ad is airing around the Washington area on WDCA and Newschannel 8, BET, MTV, and A&E, and those stations say there have been no complaints. N.Y.U. Opens Research Laboratory for AIDS * New York Times (10/19/93) P. B4 Lueck, Thomas J. New York University Medical Center yesterday opened a $75-million laboratory to house scientists devoted to the search for new treatments for cancer, AIDS, and other diseases. As many as 80 scientists will conduct research on a full-time basis in the lab, which is part of a new, 23-story university building. The new laboratory is called the Skirball Institute of Biomolecular Medicine, and was financed primarily through philanthropic gifts. Photographers to Auction Work for AIDS Charity * Reuters (10/15/93) London--Renowned photographers David Bailey, Annie Leibovitz, and Lord Snowden have donated more than 100 photos for a charity sale to benefit people with AIDS, said auctioneers on Friday. Leibovitz's portrait of Mick Jagger is expected to raise as much as $2,100 alone, while two 1981 pictures of the late Andy Warhol taken by Chris Makos have an estimated value of $3,600. The pieces, many of which feature other celebrities, will be auctioned off tomorrow in London. All money raised will go to the London Lighthouse, Europe's largest residential and support center for men and women infected and affected by the AIDS virus. London Lighthouse was opened in 1988, and now services 2,000 infected people each week with counseling, social activities, and terminal care. AIDS Relatives Are Also Screened in Blood Supply * St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/18/93) P. 2D Donohue, Paul Many viruses have look-alike relatives, writes Dr. Paul Donohue in his column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. These include the human T-cell lymphotrophic viruses 1 and 2. A third relative, HTLV-3, now more commonly known as HIV, is the virus that causes AIDS. HTVL-1 can cause cancer of the white blood cells, cancer of lymph nodes, or a nerve-muscle disease, but these occurrences are rare and only affect a small number of people. HTLV-2 has not been linked to any distinctive illness. The significance, says Donohue, is that these two distant relatives are transmitted in exactly the same way as the AIDS virus--through sexual contact, blood-to-blood contact, contaminated needles, or blood transfusions. This explains why the blood supply is screened not just for HIV, but for all three organisms, says Donohue. Britain-Cuba AIDS * Associated Press (10/14/93) Epstein, Randi Hutter London--Cuba's strict AIDS program has helped the country escape the tragic epidemic that has swept other countries with more lenient policies, according to American researcher Dr. Nancy Scheper-Hughes. The Cuban government in 1985 began HIV testing of everyone who had been out of the country since 1981. By 1987, testing was expanded to include pregnant women; those that tested positive are encouraged to undergo abortions. The government also enforced testing of anyone with a sexually transmitted disease as well as sexual partner notification and testing. In addition, a sanitarium was opened, where infected persons are isolated and cannot come and go as they like. Cuba's program has been widely criticized for depriving AIDS patients of confidentiality and freedom. "Cuba is known for repressive attitudes toward homosexuality and it's not a free society," notes Dr. Richard McDonald, a trustee of the Physicians' Association for AIDS Care in Chicago. "Certainly taking Draconian action would eliminate AIDS completely. But that action would be worse than the disease." Scheper-Hughes, writing in British medical journal The Lancet, concurs that "the human rights issue does need to be debated," but adds that "Cubans seized the moment at the very start of the epidemic. Consequently, the AIDS tragedy one finds in Haiti and Brazil was averted..." Of Cuba's 10 million-plus population, 927 Cubans have HIV and 187 have full-blown AIDS, as of May of this year. Only three children have the virus; a sole child has died of AIDS. Indonesia Drawing Up Anti-AIDS Programme * Reuters (10/15/93) Jakarta--Indonesia, with the support of the United Nations Development Program, is formulating a strategy to combat AIDS, announced the UNDP on Friday. Sixty non-government organizations met this week in the Javanese town of Cipayung to discuss methods of working in conjunction with government and local groups to develop an anti-AIDS program, said the UNDP. The health ministry has estimated that there are 20,000 persons infected with HIV, although only 33 people have been registered as having AIDS. The first incidence of HIV was discovered on the island of Bali in 1987, but the rate of infection has increased sharply since 1991. The country has a reported disdain for condoms, which are critical to a country that has a booming commercial sex industry, as does Indonesia. More Than 3,000 Cases of AIDS Registered in Honduras * United Press International (10/14/93) Teguicigalpa--In September, the number of registered AIDS patients in Honduras jumped by 179, bringing that country's total figure to 3,182, reported the Health Ministry on Thursday. The ministry estimated that about 750 people have died of AIDS since the country's first case was diagnosed in 1985. The two cities most affected were San Pedro Sula with 1,281 cases and Teguicigalpa with 461 cases. Epidemiologists predict that, by the year 2000, close to 50,000 Hondurans may be HIV carriers. D.C. Federal Court Hears PWA Marijuana Case * Washington Blade (10/08/93) Vol. 24, No. 43, P. 27 The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit recently heard arguments in a lawsuit calling for the legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The suit was filed against the Drug Enforcement Agency by the National Association for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, the Alliance for Cannabis Therapeutics, and the Drug Policy Foundation. Many individuals with AIDS smoke marijuana to alleviate nausea and vomiting, common side effects of AIDS drugs, including AZT. Marijuana also helps counteract "AIDS wasting," which is characterized by loss of appetite and extreme weight loss. Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration approved the use of Marinol, a drug containing the active ingredient found in marijuana. AIDS activists, however, have found Marinol an inadequate substitute, since it must be ingested rather than inhaled. The organizations bringing the suit want marijuana moved from Schedule I, which completely prohibits the use of the drug, to Schedule II, which allows its use only for medicinal reasons. A decision is expected within the next few months. HIV-Infected Health Care Workers: Risk to Patients * Journal of American Medical Association (10/06/93) Vol. 270, No. 13, P. 1545 Mishu, Ban et al. HIV was transmitted from one Florida dentist to six of his clients although he adhered to universal precautions, write Mishu et al. Similarly, doctors and dentists infected with hepatitis B have spread the virus to patients also despite universal precautions. Although there have been efforts to design needles that reduce the risk of needle-stick injury, there is little evidence to support the effectiveness of the "sharps." While the mechanism of viral transmission from health care worker to patient is a mystery, recent reports have shown that they are not caused by injury to the health care worker, violations of infection control guidelines, or the use of hollow-bore needles. Mishu et al. conclude that the majority of HIV-infected health care workers do not pose a risk to clients. Why certain workers appear to be "super-transmitters" of hepatitis B and possibly HIV is still unknown, but the level of viremia, host factors, type of invasive procedure conducted, and the type of sharp used are all factors to consider. October 21, 1993 AIDS Czar Tells Americans to Seek Their Pleasure in Sex * Washington Times (10/21/93) P. A1 Price, Joyce) President Clinton's AIDS czar claims that discussing sex "in terms of don't and disease" is an ineffective approach, and that the nation must begin looking at sex as an "essentially important and pleasurable thing." According to sources, Kristine Gebbie wants to change the way America views AIDS, and she believes that this country's "puritanical roots need to be examined" in order to do so. Unless Americans begin to alter views of sex, "we will continue to be a repressed Victorian society that misrepresents information, denies sexuality early, denies homosexual sexuality--particularly in the teens--and leaves people abandoned with no place to go," Gebbie declared yesterday at a conference on teenage pregnancy. Her remarks came under immediate fire. "Her statements are utterly stupid, totally irresponsible and unfounded," scoffed Rev. Donald Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. "What porn company does she work for?" Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, commented, "The people who believe what she's saying are the ones getting the diseases... People who have Victorian morality aren't." Gebbie's special assistant, Ben Merrill, defended the AIDS czar, saying that her message is a common theme of hers and is "something that needs to be said." Proposal to Track HIV Coming Under Criticism * Baltimore Sun (10/21/93) P. 2B AIDS activists, health experts, and care-givers in Baltimore, Md., are in opposition to a state-proposed method of tracking people with HIV. Under the AIDS Administration plan, all persons testing HIV-positive would be assigned a 14-number code consisting of the individual's last six Social Security number digits, six digits reflecting date of birth, one number indicating race, and one indicating sex. The proposed reporting system complies with 1992 legislation requiring that such tracking efforts refrain from using names; however, critics warn that the code system will nevertheless cause people to avoid treatment. Opponents do support the idea of a tracking system, but one that promises anonymity. "A helpful tool in our outreach system is the promise of absolute anonymity," said John Hannay, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. "The system that has been proposed does away with that." Who Invented AZT? Big Bucks Are Riding on What Sleuths Find * Wall Street Journal (10/21/93) P. A1 Felsenthal, Edward Trying to determine who actually invented the AIDS drug AZT is indicative of how searching for drug inventors has become a legal nightmare. Once simple, it is now difficult to assess the true inventor because modern drug development is a complex process that requires the combined expertise and cooperation of so many scientists. The search is significant, however, because the first person to develop an idea is legally awarded exclusive rights to sell it. Now, 10 years after Burroughs Wellcome Co. and the National Institutes of Health began working jointly with AZT, they are still in opposition over who deserves the credit. Although the drug didn't surface on the market until 1987, the list of possible inventors reaches back as far as 1964. In that year, a Dr. Jerome Horowitz created the compound AZT. No one denies this, but inventors have to prove that their discoveries do something useful. Horowitz hoped to use the drug to treat cancer, but it didn't work, and AIDS was unheard of then. AZT sat on the shelf for years until, in 1983, Burroughs Wellcome began looking for AIDS treatments. Researchers at the company found that the drug destroyed a mouse virus similar to HIV. This work alone did not justify a patent because it failed to prove the drug worked against the virus in humans. In 1986, the drug company sent AZT to NIH, which was also searching for an AIDS solution, and the two began collaboration. Some say that it was NIH scientists who actually discovered that AZT blocked HIV in human cells. The legal system has so far been in favor of Burroughs Wellcome, but the battle is far from over. Hearing Focuses on Spread of AIDS Among Latinos * Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (10/21/93) P. B3 Shuit, Douglas P. Dozens of health care workers and AIDS activists testified yesterday before a panel of 15 elected officials and civic leaders at a Los Angeles hearing that focused on the spread of AIDS among the Latino community. According to statistics, one-third of all county cases of AIDS in 1992 were among Latinos. Other studies indicate that Latinas account for a disproportionately high number of women with HIV/AIDS, and that many are transmitting the virus to their infants during pregnancy. In addition, 41 percent of the infected children in the county are Latinos. Health officials report that Latinos, more than any other group, seek treatment only in the late phases of disease. Roland Palencia of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation testified that attitudes within the Latino community are so strongly opposed to gay sex that people are reluctant to admit to it. "There is a lot of homophobia ...," said Palencia. "People don't want to expose themselves to that." Religious considerations, especially the Roman Catholic Church's stance on condoms, contribute. Elliot Johnson, administrator of the HIV/AIDS clinic at USC Medical Center noted that many Latinos come in with full-blown AIDS, yet it is the first time they have seen a doctor. "It appears to us the word is not getting out," said Johnson. Part of the problem is that warnings often are in English and not Spanish, said AIDS workers. Also, they pointed out, the Latino community does not have a well-recognized figure like Elizabeth Taylor or Magic Johnson to help spread safe-sex messages. Man Enters Insanity Plea in Biting Incident * Chicago Tribune (10/20/93) P. 1-3 A man charged with attempted murder for trying to infect a police officer with the AIDS virus has entered a plea of insanity. Charles A. Rucker, 32, is accused of biting the officer who responded to a June 6 domestic quarrel at his home. He allegedly warned police "I have AIDS and you are all going to die." Rucker pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease on Monday in a Wisconsin courtroom. Previous evaluations had declared Rucker able to stand trial, but Rock County Circuit Court Judge Edwin Dahlberg ordered more psychiatric tests and set a hearing for Nov. 22. German Official May Have Hushed Up AIDS Blood Link * Reuters (10/19/93) Christie, Michael Bonn--German Health Minister Horst Seehofer suspended a Federal Health Agency (BGA) official Tuesday following allegations that he covered up evidence that blood products supplied by a pharmaceutical company were tainted with HIV. A top AIDS scientist informed Seehofer about the BGA official's failure in 1990 to reveal that blood products had tested HIV-positive, and also notified the drug firm implicated, according to Seehofer, who declined to name either the official or the company. Investigators for the health minister are expected to report by the end of the week on accusations that the BGA was over-friendly with the pharmaceutical industry. Drugs and Needle-Sharing Fuel AIDS in German Jails * Reuters (10/19/93) Bonn, Germany--Heroin addiction and needle-sharing in German prisons is contributing to the spread of AIDS among that population, according to a consortium of about 130 German AIDS groups. Heroin is so abundant in correctional facilities that it is priced even less than street value, the groups claim. A shortage of syringes, however, leads to needle-sharing that results in close to 400 HIV infections each year. "Drug users in prison are three times more likely to be infected with the HIV virus than drug users who have never gone to jail," calculates Ulrich Heide, head of Positive Living, an AIDS foundation. The organizations estimate that one in 50 German inmates contracts HIV, in comparison to only one in 1,000 for the general population. Overall, 6,000 Germans get the virus each year. The groups, which began examining the problem of drug abuse and AIDS in the German prison system in May 1992, urged the country's justice ministers to experiment with drug substitution programs and distribution of throw-away syringes. Photo Auction Raises Thousands for AIDS Charity * Reuters (10/19/93) London--An auction of pieces by acclaimed photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Lord Snowdon, Cecil Beaton, and David Bailey raised over $53,000 Tuesday for a top British AIDS agency. More than 100 photographs were bought, including Irving Penn's 1980 abstract called "Blast," which earned the highest price at $2,830. Many of the pictures featured celebrities. Snowdon's portrait of artist David Hockney went for $1,490, while a 1992 Leibovitz photo of rocker Mick Jagger garnered $1,340. London auction house Christie's said the auction collected $54,610 for the London Lighthouse, Europe's largest residential and support center for men and women with AIDS. AIDSLine: Is AZT Affecting My Ability to Build Muscle? * Advocate (10/05/93) No. 639, P. 34 Cohan, Gary As many as one half of HIV-positive men experience hypogonadism, a condition that results from a decrease in the body's production of testosterone. This occurs most frequently in patients whose T-cell counts have fallen below 200. HIV specialist Dr. Gary Cohan says that patients experiencing hypogonadism will notice muscle mass loss, decrease in sex drive, and smaller amounts of semen during ejaculation. Fortunately, the condition is easily treatable with monthly injections of testosterone esters, the same anabolic steroid used by bodybuilders, to promote muscle growth. October 22, 1993 'Abstinence' Added to Sex Message * Washington Times (10/22/93) P. A1 Murray, Frank J. Washington--White House AIDS policy coordinator Kristine Gebbie said her views on teen sexuality were taken out of context, and said that abstinence is the most effective method of avoiding HIV infection. Gebbie's clarification came after press reports suggested that she was glorifying the joys of sex after a speech she presented Wednesday on teenage pregnancy. "Abstinence is the surest prevention of HIV transmission, and must be communicated as a part of the complete prevention message," Gebbie said. "The next generation of young people should be prepared to enter an adult sexual life with a better base of attitudes and information than we have provided so far." The Washington Times, however, notes an Oct. 3 speech in which Gebbie said she would urge educators to stop preaching abstinence as the only way to prevent AIDS. She also condemned such teaching as "criminal" and said it "spreads fear and leads to adults who see nothing positive about their sexuality." The AIDS czar told conference participants Wednesday that the "don'ts and disease" strategy was not curbing sexual activity among teens, and that Americans must learn to view sex as "an essentially important and pleasurable thing." The statement was issued not by Gebbie herself, but on her behalf by the White House. Needle Exchange Set for Boston, Cambridge * Boston Globe (10/21/93) P. 38 Howe, Peter J. Following years of opposition from many public officials and neighborhood leaders, the cities of Boston and Cambridge, Mass., will implement a $100,000, year-long pilot needle exchange program to curb the spread of the AIDS virus, announced officials. Vans and walking patrols of officials will trade one free, clean syringe for each used needle turned in. Some public officials objected to the program, fearing that it would condone or encourage drug use. In addition, neighborhood leaders expressed concern that needle exchanges could attract drug users and increase crime in the areas where health officials regularly provide clean needles. Despite these apprehensions, Suffolk District Attorney Ralph C. Martin said, "A needle-exchange program, appropriately regulated and coupled with treatment for the drug-addicted, will save lives." State public health commissioner David I. Mulligan announced that his department will monitor the program carefully and urge drug users to seek treatment. Legislators voted earlier in the year to approve pilot needle exchange programs in any cities willing to host them, and 37 similar programs are being operated across the nation. Health Ministry Officials Suspected of Taking Bribes in HIV Scandal * United Press International (10/21/93) Vienna--In an effort to accelerate approval of products for hemophiliacs, health ministry officials in Austria may have accepted bribes from a drug company which manufacturers the products, according to press reports. The allegations target civil servants who supposedly traveled to conferences worldwide at the expense of Swiss-Austrian company Immuno. The pharmaceutical firm is being sued by a group of about 30 hemophiliacs who claim the company's products infected them with HIV. Health Minister Michael Ausserwinkler said that his department would uncover the reason why the defective products were not recalled in 1985, when the link between HIV and AIDS was discovered. He warned that those who are found to have acted illegally will face charges. Klaus Anderle, an Immuno spokesperson, contended that as many as 10 hemophiliacs would have died if Factor 8, a blood-thickening product available worldwide, had been pulled from the market, as there was no alternative product. Of Austria's estimated 600 hemophiliacs, about 150 are infected with HIV. About 70 individuals have died from AIDS in the country. Kenyan Charged With Infecting Women With AIDS * Reuters (10/20/93) Auckland, New Zealand--A Kenyan musician infected with the AIDS virus was charged in an Auckland court with deliberately infecting women with the deadly disease, said court officials. Police said that at least one woman alleged to have had contact with Paul Mwai, 28, has tested HIV-positive. Mwai, a drummer with an African band, denied four charges of intentionally infecting the women. He was ordered to appear in court again on Jan. 28 for a committal hearing. If convicted, he faces as many as 14 years of incarceration. Police said that Paul Mwai is not the man's real name and that they have sent fingerprints and a photo of him to Kenyan police in an attempt to obtain true identification. Genetic Link Seen in HIV Immunity * Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (10/20/93) P. A15 A Canadian-Kenyan research team has been studying a small group of prostitutes in Nairobi who appear to be naturally immune to the AIDS virus. After eight years, the scientists may have discovered a genetic link to explain why. They estimate that one in five clients soliciting the prostitutes is infected with HIV, and the general level of adult infection is about 60 percent. Among the prostitutes, the rate is between 85 and 95 percent. Twenty-five of these commercial sex workers, however, have avoided infection for at least five years, and not because of more frequent condom use, claims head researcher Dr. Frank Plummer. "It's not something about sexual behavior, and it's not because HIV infection cannot be established in their cells--we've been able to do that in a lab," explains Plummer. "So we're left to speculate that it's because they're immune to HIV." He adds that there are important implications if so. Researchers think the key lies in genetic markers on cell surfaces called HLAs, which are common to all 25 women. HLAs help the immune system recognize the difference between a body's own cells and those of invaders. Plummer says that when the scientists isolate which types of HLAs protect against HIV, hopefully they can duplicate that immunity in a lab, and advance toward an AIDS vaccine. The Nairobi prostitutes are not the only group to support the theory of natural immunity. Professor Keith McAdam of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine says another good example is hemophiliac men who have not infected their wives. Germany-AIDS * Associated Press (10/20/93) Thorson, Larry Berlin--A criminal investigation of federal health officials is being conducted following Germany's second scandal concerning blood products contaminated with the AIDS virus. Bruno Rautenburg, a spokesperson for Berlin's Justice Department, said that a probe is under way into allegations that the Federal Health Office allowed the release of tainted blood in 1990. Earlier this month, German Health Minister Horst Seehofer accused the agency of hushing-up 373 reports of patients who received contaminated blood up until 1985. The latest accusations, however, indicate that the infected blood may have been used even after the government mandated testing for HIV in 1985. Rautenburg said prosecutors were investigating the employees on suspicion of causing dangerous bodily harm by permitting a method of processing blood in 1990 that could lead to HIV infection. AIDS Researchers Give Upbeat Reports at National Conference * United Press International (10/20/93) Wasowicz, Lidia San Francisco--Leading AIDS researchers reported renewed enthusiasm, optimism, and hope, as well as promising new vaccine tests to combat the deadly virus. Scientists continue to press on with studies of long-term survivors, combination drug therapies, and inoculation trials, attendees at the Sixth National AIDS Update Conference were told. More positive attitudes have replaced the discouragement and pessimism that followed last year's international AIDS conference in Berlin, where scientists presented disappointing study results. The studies reported at this conference were much more encouraging. Work with a group of drugs called protease inhibitors, which block the growth of infectious viruses, have so far been promising. Also, researchers are close to developing tests that can quickly measure the effectiveness of a particular treatment in an individual. Such screens would be significant in ensuring that patients would be neither over or under-treated. Further encouraging research indicates that early intervention with low doses of AZT in patients with high T-cell counts effectively delays progression of the disease. In addition, one pharmaceutical company reports "remarkable results" in the development of an AIDS vaccine. New Choreography and High Fashion in a United Expression About AIDS * New York Times (10/20/93) P. C15 Kisselgoff, Anna The dance and fashion worlds merged Monday night for "A Demand Performance," a benefit extravaganza to raise money for AIDS education, care, and advocacy. The cause attracted 18 choreographers, who joined forces at the New York State Theater for an event that featured dance performances--many of them premieres--as well as vocal pieces. The gala was presented by the Design Industries Foundation for AIDS, the fashion industry's main crusader against the disease, in collaboration with Broadway Cares-Equity Fights AIDS, a group in the entertainment business. AIDS Digest * Washington Blade (10/01/93) Vol. 24, No. 42, P. 33 The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute announced plans to conduct a three-year, $14 million clinical trial of immune globulin (HIVIG). The studies will examine how to prevent HIV transmission from HIV-infected pregnant women to their uninfected, unborn babies. The trial will involve 400 women, some of whom will receive HIVIG and some of whom will receive a placebo. All participants will take AZT. 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. -----===[[[ A I D S w i r e D I G E S T 10.18.93 ]]]===----- .