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The Arsenal Files 8
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The Arsenal Files Collection #8 (Arsenal Computer) (1996).ISO
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ad961008.txt
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1996-10-16
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AIDS Daily Summary
Tuesday, October 8, 1996
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 National AIDS
Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this
text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this
information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
******************************************************
"2 Get Nobel for Work on Immune Response"
"A Fusion of Love, Logistics"
"Rare AIDS Strains Stir Concerns"
"South Africa Scandal Over 'Sarafina' Spotlights Corruption in
the A.N.C."
"AIDS Tests Join At-Home Diagnostics"
"Red Cross Urges Compensation"
"Elders Says Record as Surgeon General Requires No Regrets"
"Across the USA: California"
"Japan's HIV Blood Scandal Broadens Out"
"Editorial: AIDS Clinic Deserves Support"
******************************************************
"2 Get Nobel for Work on Immune Response"
New York Times (10/08/96) P. C6; Kolata, Gina
Two scientists have been awarded the 1996 Nobel Prize in
Physiology or Medicine for their discovery of how the immune
system recognizes cells that are infected with viruses. Peter C.
Doherty, of St. Jude's Medical Center in Memphis, and Rolf M.
Zinkernagel, of the University of Zurich in Switzerland,
discovered that the immune system's white blood cells must
recognize two signals before attacking an infected cell. Their
discovery could help scientists develop therapies for viral
diseases, including AIDS; as well as autoimmune diseases like
diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis.
"A Fusion of Love, Logistics"
Washington Post (10/08/96) P. C1; Wheeler, Linda
The three-day display of the AIDS Memorial Quilt in
Washington, D.C, to start on Friday, will employ 10,000
volunteers and cost $1 million. The Names Project, the San
Francisco group that maintains and displays the quilt, is
preparing for the event from a downtown office. The quilt has
37,856 panels, representing about 70,000 people who have died of
AIDS. It first appeared in Washington in 1988, and covered the
space of a city block. This year it will cover the entire Mall
as well as some bordering areas.
"Rare AIDS Strains Stir Concerns"
Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/08/96) P. A14
The discovery of rare strains of HIV in the United States
has led scientists to search globally for strains so that tests
may be developed to detect every type. The first U.S. case of the
rare Group O was found in July, and a second case was discovered
this month. Additionally, another type of HIV new to the United
States was found in a small group of New Yorkers. The HIV test
usually used in this country does not detect Group O once in every
five cases. Abbott Laboratories, however, has submitted a test to
the Food and Drug Administration that is designed to better detect
Group O infections. The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention reports that the patients infected with Group O
contracted the virus in their native country of West Africa. The
agency is now trying to determine whether the New Yorkers were
infected here or abroad.
"South Africa Scandal Over 'Sarafina' Spotlights Corruption in
the A.N.C."
New York Times (10/08/96) P. A6; Daley, Suzanne
The scandal surrounding the musical "Sarafina 2," sponsored
by South Africa's national health department to bring an
anti-AIDS message to the illiterate, is said by some to exemplify
the corruption within the African National Congress (ANC). When
the musical opened last spring, AIDS experts criticized its
message as unclear, and its high cost was also brought into
question. Although the play closed quickly, it led many South
Africans to doubt the ANC's practices and Health Commissioner Dr.
Nkosazana Zuma's position. Zuma has been accused of lying to
Parliament about the procedure used to fund the musical, but she
has been defended by the ANC.
"AIDS Tests Join At-Home Diagnostics"
Chicago Tribune (10/07/96) P. 4-1; Hutchcraft, Chuck
The two home AIDS tests now available, Johnson & Johnson's
Confide and Home Access Health's Home Access, may soon be joined
by a test that uses a person's saliva rather than a blood sample
to test for HIV antibodies. SmithKline Beecham's OraSure, now
only available through doctors' offices and clinics, may later be
introduced in the home-testing market. The home AIDS test is the
most controversial home test available, and has been opposed by
the American Medical Association since 1989. The organization
will likely reconsider its position this year, however, an
official said.
"Red Cross Urges Compensation"
Toronto Globe and Mail (10/07/96) P. A1; McIlroy, Anne
The leader of the Canadian Red Cross has urged federal and
provincial health ministers to offer financial compensation to
the 12,000 Canadians who contracted hepatitis C through tainted
blood products in the 1980s. Secretary-General Douglas Lindores
said the Red Cross would contribute to the compensation fund,
which he says is necessary for the reform of the blood system.
Hepatitis C, which causes liver damage, is fatal in one of five
cases. Canadians infected with HIV through the blood system have
already been offered financial assistance.
"Elders Says Record as Surgeon General Requires No Regrets"
Washington Times (10/08/96) P. A6; Price, Joyce
Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders says she does not
regret any of her actions during her tenure, and that she is not
disturbed that she has become a campaign issue. She confirmed a
report that the Clinton administration was prepared to lift a ban
on federal funding for needle-exchange programs in 1994 but
reversed the decision when the Congress became dominated by
Republicans. The proposed lifting of the ban was in response to
five studies that showed needle exchanges reduced the spread of
HIV but did not result in increased drug use.
"Across the USA: California"
USA Today (10/08/96) P. 7A
Police in California confiscated brownies from a booth set
up by the activist group ACT UP to promote Proposition 215, which
would legalize medical uses of marijuana. The police say they
will return the brownies if no drugs are found in them.
"Japan's HIV Blood Scandal Broadens Out"
Nature (09/26/96) Vol. 383, No. 6598, P. 291; Swinbanks, David
Three arrests were made recently in Japan's tainted blood
scandal, and others are expected as more attention is given to
non-hemophiliacs who contracted HIV from contaminated blood
products. The president and two former presidents of Green Cross
Corp. were arrested in a case involving the death of a
non-hemophiliac who was treated with blood products supplied by
the company. A memo confiscated from the company, reportedly
written by then-president Renzo Matsushita and sent to employees,
claimed that the company's non-heat-treated products were safer
than heat-treated products because they were made from domestic
blood plasma, rather than plasma imported from the U.S. In fact,
however, nearly all of the firm's blood products were made from
plasma imported from the United States. The executives are
suspected of overlooking the risk of HIV in their promotion of
non-heat-treated products in 1986. The company did not stop
distributing its non-heat-treated products until 1988, two years
after it reported to the government that the withdrawal had been
completed. Just this year, it has become known that thousands of
non-hemophiliacs had been treated with the non-heat-treated
products, and that most of the patients cannot be located.
"Editorial: AIDS Clinic Deserves Support"
Crain's Chicago Business (09/23/96) Vol. 19, No. 39, P. 12
Businesses in the Chicago area are urged, in an editorial in
Crain's Chicago Business, to contribute to a proposed $25 million
project that will provide outpatient care for people with HIV and
AIDS-related health problems. The joint project by Cook County
Hospital and Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke's Medical Center would
provide less costly care in a more effective manner than a
hospital setting would. The project has received $15.8 million
from state and federal sources, and $5 million from a corporate
fundraising campaign led by Playboy Enterprises, Inc. The
hospitals, which in any one night provide inpatient care to nearly
100 HIV-positive people, agree that an outpatient center could
reduce inpatient days for HIV-related illnesses by 30 percent.