AIDS Daily Summary August 15, 1994 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information 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, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "HIV is Spread in Asia by the Sex Industry and its Captives" Philadelphia Inquirer (08/15/94) P. A1; Collins, Huntly The multibillion-dollar sex trade industry in Asia is seen as a key reason HIV is spreading so rapidly in that continent. A recent United Nations report found that "tens of thousands of women and girls are unable to resist possible exposure to HIV." Women from Taiwan, Korea, and the Philippines have been forcibly sent to Japan in increasing numbers since 1988. Up to three million Asians are already infected with HIV, a figure that could hit 45 million by the end of the decade, some researchers predict. "Case for AIDS Vaccine Trials" Financial Times (08/15/94) P. 13 The editors of the Financial Times note that prospects for an AIDS vaccine are seriously hampered by the refusal of the United States to start trials of those vaccines that have been developed. With the epidemic continuing to accelerate in Africa and Asia, greater risks must be taken in developing areas than would be acceptable in America. The editors call on the World Health Organization to go forward with its planned coordination of vaccine trials in Brazil, Thailand, and Uganda. "Pathologist Says Gee-Whiz Bullets Are AIDS Threat" Reuters (08/12/94) Varnard Adams, medical examiner in Tampa, Florida, warns that the police department's use of high-tech dum dum bullets creates an AIDS risk for doctors who perform autopsies. The bullets expand after entering the human body. Adams protested the use of the bullets after a bullet cut a doctor performing an autopsy. "ACT-UP High on Hyatt" Washington Times (08/11/94) P. 5 ACT-UP is considering endorsing Ohio Democratic Senate candidate Joel Hyatt despite the firing of an AIDS victim from his Hyatt Legal Services firm. That story was depicted in the movie "Philadelphia." Hyatt has apologized for the incident, which occurred seven years ago. ACT-UP officials say Hyatt may now be more sensitive to the plight of AIDS victims. "Aspirin May Inhibit HIV, Researchers Say" Reuters (08/11/94) Yale researchers report that ordinary aspirin may keep HIV-infected people from getting full-blown AIDS. The researchers found that aspirin and its chemical precursor, sodium salicylate, block a protein which plays a critical role in triggering the body's front-line immune response. By inhibiting this protein in two test-tube studies, the researchers also found that aspirin substantially prevented the HIV virus that causes AIDS from replicating itself. "Indian Cop Rapes for AIDS Cure" United Press International (08/14/94) An Indian police constable accused of raping and murdering a young girl in New Delhi, India, asserts he committed the crime to cure his case of AIDS. The police officer claimed he thought sexual intercourse with a virgin would cure him of AIDS. An independent estimate finds that more than a million cases of HIV occur every year in India. Various education campaigns have been unsuccessful in the Asian nation. "Elton John to Present Intimate Evening of Music" Entertainment Wire (08/11/94) Elton John will perform in Beverly Hills, California, four nights in September to benefit the Elton John AIDS Foundation Inc. John founded the Foundation in 1993 to raise funds for direct patient care and AIDS prevention education. The Foundation raised $1.65 million in its first year, a figure that was matched through the Foundation's on-going affiliation with the National Community AIDS Partnership, thus increasing the amount to $3 million in disbursements. "AIDS Researchers--What Can They Say?" U.S. News & World Report (08/08/94) Vol. 117, No. 6, P. 18 Researchers are dismayed that so few breakthroughs have occurred in the decade between the first global AIDS research conference in Atlanta in 1985 and the 10th conference being held Aug. 7-12 in Yokahama, Japan. Nearly one million AIDS cases have been reported to the World Health Organization, but the agency suspects that the actual number is four million, in addition to 17 million HIV carriers. The AIDS epicenter is moving from Africa to Asia. The good news is that the average rate of survival for people with full-blown AIDS has nearly quadrupled since 1983. New studies, however, question the effectiveness of a number of AIDS treatments. Gene therapy, although promising, remains untested. With progress so slow, researchers have agreed to meet less and work even harder. After this year, the conferences will be held every other year, the next one being scheduled for 1996 in Vancouver. "People are realizing that it's unrealistic to think we'll have breakthroughs every year," says Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health. "An Anti-HIV Vitamin" Science (07/15/94) Vol. 265, No. 5170, P. 314 Studies have demonstrated that HIV-positive pregnant women transmit the virus to their infants 10 to 40 percent of the time, provoking questions as to why some babies become infected and others do not. A recent study in Malawi suggests that vitamin A deficiency, which is known to compromise the immune system, may influence whether pregnant women pass HIV on to their babies. Richard Semba and colleagues at Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, in collaboration with John Chiphangwi from Malawi Medical College, measured the vitamin A levels in 333 HIV-infected mothers-to-be. The babies were tested for HIV after birth. Semba et al. found that women who did not transmit the virus had vitamin A levels averaging 1.07 per liter, while women who did not transmit HIV had levels of vitamin A averaging only 0.86 per liter--a level that is considered deficient. It is uncertain how vitamin A might affect maternal-infant HIV transmission, but Semba is drafting plans for studies to test the theory that treating HIV-positive pregnant women with vitamin A might decrease transmission rates.