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                     AIDS Daily Summary
                     November 30, 1993


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 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


"New York AIDS Fighter to Lead District Agency"
Washington Post (11/30/93) P. A1  (Goldstein, Amy)
     After rejecting an informal offer less than two months ago to
head the District of Columbia's troubled Agency for HIV/AIDS, New
York AIDS fighter Frank Oldham Jr. has reconsidered.  Mayor
Sharon Pratt Kelly has scheduled a news conference for today to
appoint Oldham as the agency's new chief.   The former chief was
fired amid allegations of impropriety and the agency has been
plagued by internal disputes, bureaucratic delays, and a failure
to spend millions of dollars in federal and local subsidies.
Oldham, currently director of the Office of Gay and Lesbian
Health Concerns in New York City, cited infighting and an
inadequate salary as grounds for rejecting the earlier offer to
lead the office.  However, he says he never completely severed
negotiations and last week met with the mayor, who assured him
that AIDS is a priority.  In addition, the new chief will receive
a $70,000 annual salary, about $9,000 more than his predecessor.
Oldham said one of his primary goals for Washington, D.C., is to
diversify the city's strategies for preventing the spread of
AIDS.  He also wants to appoint local AIDS leaders as advisers to
the agency, and to create a new office catering to the health of
homosexuals.

"Clinton Urged to Preach Compassion"
Washington Post (11/30/93) P. A8  (Niebuhr, Gustav)
     An interfaith group of representatives from religious
organizations asked President Clinton to preach compassion for
AIDS patients and to acknowledge the expertise of religious
bodies that care for the infected.  The group of 13, including
several Protestants, a Catholic priest, and a rabbi, met with
Clinton during a private breakfast yesterday at the White House.
According to interviews of five attendees, the discussion
centered not on health care politics, but on the personal
experiences of working with people with AIDS and how houses of
worship try to help those who have the virus.  "In many cases,
it's the religious community in a city that's carrying the brunt
of the load for caring for people with HIV/AIDS," said the Rev.
Russell Dilliard, pastor of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church
in Washington.  "I came away feeling that we were heard...that
here was the top government person in this country willing to
spend private time with people who are serving the Lord, and he
listened."  After the meeting, the White House released a
statement announcing that it will observe World AIDS Day on
Wednesday by dimming its lights for 15 minutes at 7:45 p.m. in
memory of those lost to the disease.  Related Story: Washington
Times (11/30) P. A4

"AIDS Panel to Slice Regulatory Red Tape"
Wall Street Journal (11/30/93) P. B6  (Chase, Marilyn)
     In hopes of reversing a dearth of new AIDS drugs, the White House
proposes the creation of a task force to delete the financial,
regulatory, and proprietary obstacles that block companies from
moving new drugs from the lab, through testing, and onto the
market.  The Task Force on AIDS Drug Development will combine the
National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug
Administration with corporations and the communities most ravaged
by the virus.  Health and Human Services secretary Donna Shalala,
who will announce the new federal task force today, says she will
accept nominations for the 15-member team over the next month.
The project is said to be the brainchild of FDA Commissioner
David Kessler, who has long sought to eliminate regulatory red
tape and accelerate approval of promising new AIDS drugs.
Despite this fast track to market approval, Shalala points out a
shortage of new drugs.  "The sad fact remains that not a single
New Drug Application for an [AIDS antiviral drug] is currently
before the FDA," she notes in a prepared statement.  "No matter
how much we shorten the [development] pipeline, we cannot achieve
our goal unless we start filling that pipeline with promising
compounds."  After a dozen years of the AIDS epidemic, treatment
development has not progressed far beyond AZT and its sister
drugs, DDI and DDC.

"Kaposi's Sarcoma Linked to Volcanic Soil"
Reuters (11/25/93)
     London--Kaposi's sarcoma, a cancer-like condition that affects
about 18 percent of AIDS patients, may be otherwise triggered by
contact with volcanic soil, according to a report by University
of California medical professor John Ziegler.  This disease of
the lymphatic system, characterized by slow-growing tumors of
blood vessels that appear on the skin as blue-brown lesions, also
occurs without exposure to the AIDS virus, especially in men in
certain parts of Africa.  Ziegler reported in the Lancet medical
journal that volcanic soil in areas where the disease is
prevalent may be key.  Kaposi's sarcoma is similar to a disease
known as podoconiosis, a lymphatic limb disorder linked to
barefoot contact with volcanic soil, said Ziegler.  "The
prevalence of both conditions in highland areas close to
volcanoes suggests a shared pathogenic relationship to exposure
to volcanic soils," explained Ziegler.  The volcanic soil could
damage the skin and tissue in the feet and legs, thus hindering
local immunity to the infectious agent that is thought to trigger
the abnormal increase in cells that causes Kaposi's sarcoma.

"Condom Making Booms in Rubber-Rich Malaysia"
Reuters (11/28/93)  (Hamid, Abdul Jalil)
     Klang, Malaysia--With an annual production of one billion,
Malaysia is now the world's third largest condom manufacturer,
falling behind only the United States and India.  Malaysia is
also one of the world's major producers of rubber latex, which is
used to make condoms and gloves.  The AIDS crisis has fueled
demand for both.  Compared to just three in 1989, there are now
eight condom manufacturers in Malaysia.  These companies face
challenges in marketing their products.  Not only are condom
advertisements banned from local newspapers and on television,
but proposals to sell condoms in vending machines to shy
Malaysians were rejected by religious groups who contended it
would encourage free sex.

"French Parliament Rejects Compulsory AIDS Tests"
Reuters (11/24/93)
     Paris--A social affairs committee of the National Assembly, the
lower house of the French Parliament, on Wednesday rejected a
proposal to implement mandatory AIDS testing for all tuberculosis
patients.  The committee dropped the proposal from a bill which
the Senate approved in October.  The Assembly must ratify a bill
before it can be made law.  The national medical association
argued that the proposal was unethical.  The health minister, as
well as human rights groups and physicians, also objected to the
proposal.  Some 10,000 people in France have TB.

"French Anti-AIDS Agency Fails in Benetton Suit"
Reuters (11/24/93)
     Paris--A Paris court dismissed a lawsuit filed against Italian
clothier Benetton over the firm's latest shock advertising
campaign.  The French Agency for the Fight against AIDS (AFLS), a
government organization, sought $177,000 in damages under a law
prohibiting the exploitation of illness and suffering for
commercial profit.  The AFLS asked a judge to ban a Benetton
poster displaying naked buttocks and limbs tattooed with the
words "HIV positive."  The court, however, ruled that it was not
the agency's responsibility to defend AIDS patients, four of whom
had complained to the government agency about Benetton's ads.

"Ukraine Orders AIDS Tests for Foreign Residents"
Reuters (11/26/93)
     Kiev, Ukraine--The former Soviet republic of Ukraine has mandated
compulsory AIDS testing for foreigners working or studying there,
reported Ukrinform, the official news agency.  Those identified
as HIV carriers could face expulsion, said the agency.

"Honduras Has More Than Half of All Central American AIDS Cases"
United Press International (11/24/93)
     Tegucigalpa--Although Honduras represents only 17 percent of the
Central American population, the country accounts for 3,193 of
the 5,600 reported cases of AIDS on the continent, according to a
report by the World Health Organization.  Officials predict that
the number of infected persons will increase to 15,000 by the
year 2000, cites Delia Tercero of the Honduran Health Ministry
says.  Tercero says Honduras, which was the first Central
American country to report a case of AIDS, has a
disproportionately high number of infections because "the
population refuses to take preventive measures and those that do,
do it incorrectly."

"Jury Finds Waiter Was Fired Because He Had AIDS"
Reuters (11/25/93)
     San Francisco--A jury decided in favor of a waiter who claimed he
was fired from his job because he has AIDS.  Following a two-week
civil trial, the San Francisco Superior Court jury of eight women
and four men awarded $30,000 in damages to Rolando Iglesias.  The
plaintiff, whose testimony was shown on videotape due to his
bedridden condition, sued for punitive damages for emotional
distress stemming from the discrimination against him.  His
former boss, 51-year-old Jeremiah Tower, said he fired Iglesias
from his Stars restaurant because the waiter violated restaurant
policy by not serving a customer a souffle when it was available.
Tower's attorney claimed her client did not know Iglesias had
AIDS.