NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26/NN_1992_26.iso/spool/sci/med/aids/1975

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From: [e-mail] (Billi Goldberg)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: CDC Summary 11/6/92 (The Correct One)
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Date: 7 Nov 92 04:09:57 GMT
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Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
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Sorry for posting 10/9/92 instead of 11/6/92; it has been a bad day.

                          AIDS Daily Summary
                          November 6, 1992
 The Centers for Disease Control (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.  Copyright 1992,
Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD
************************************************************************
 "NIH Convenes Panel to Evaluate AIDS Vaccine Trial Ordered by Congress"
Washington Post (11/06/92), P. A3  (Brown, David)
     The National Institutes of Health yesterday called together a
panel of experts to consider the scientific merits of an AIDS  vaccine
trial that Congress has funded and ordered to be done  without the NIH's
consent.  The congressional mandate was part of an amendment to a
Defense Department appropriation bill passed  last month.  A total of
$20 million was provided to Army  researchers to test gp-160, a vaccine
made from part of the outer coating of HIV.  The proposed trial is the
product of an  extremely successful lobbying effort by the vaccine's
manufacturer, MicroGeneSys Inc.  According to the defense bill
amendment, unless the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and  the
Defense Department decide within six months that the test  should not
proceed, the money should be used for a "large-scale"  trial of the gp-
160 vaccine.  Small studies have shown that the  vaccine may boost the
immune system capabilities of HIV-positive  people.  While no
manufacturer was named in the appropriation  bill, the designation of
gp-160 as the vaccine to be tested  effectively means that MicroGeneSys
would have its product tested first.  Despite the political overtones of
the meeting, most of  the discussions yesterday were about the state of
vaccine  research.  NIH Director Bernadine Healy said that "it is
absolutely imperative that this panel give gp-160 an objective  and fair
assessment" despite the aggressive lobbying effort.  She requested that
the panel report by Dec. 2 whether it believes  gp-160 or any other
vaccines are ready for large trials.

"Red Cross Delay Led to AIDS, Report Says" Toronto Globe and Mail
(11/05/92), P. A1  (Mickleburgh, Rod)
     While the Canadian Red Cross waited to institute a recognized HIV
screening test, at least 50 Canadians contracted the virus from  tainted
blood transfusions, according to a report conducted for  Health and
Welfare Canada.  The Canadian Red Cross did not  implement its national
blood-screening program until Nov. 4,  1985, which was eight months
after a similar program began in the United States.  Jack McDonald, a
University of Calgary professor  who wrote the 23-page report, found
that 50 Canadians have   tested positive for HIV after receiving
infected blood during the eight-month delay.  McDonald said that the
actual total of people who are infected could be higher because it is
likely that some  of them are not yet aware they are infected.  The
Canadian Red  Cross defended the delay, saying it was necessary to first
obtain federal and provincial financing for the program.  The agency
also said it had to wait until an ordinary AIDS test was  available to
the public because of fears that huge numbers of  people would donate
blood simply as a way of learning whether  they were HIV-positive.  Ken
Arenson, a Toronto attorney who  represents about 30 HIV-positive
clients suing the Red Cross,  said the U.S. solved this problem by
refusing to tell donors  whether their blood was infected.  An official
from Health and  Welfare Canada said the new screening techniques were
introduced  in the United States and Canada at about the same time, but
Canada delayed its public announcement until its national program had
been completed.

"In the World: Test All French, Says Woman in AIDS Case" Baltimore Sun
(11/06/92), P. 16A
     A former French government official, accused in a scandal over
HIV-positive blood, urged political leaders to test every French
citizen for HIV.  Georgina Dufoix, who was the country's social  affairs
minister in 1985 when thousands of French hemophiliacs  contracted HIV
from national blood bank transfusions, said her  critics were making
huge mistakes by not mandating HIV testing  for everyone.  "Those who
criticize us today are committing the  same error 100 times over by not
systematically testing every  Frenchman and by leaving AIDS in a blur,"
she told the Paris  daily newspaper Le Monde.

"Women Facing Obstacles in Avoiding AIDS Virus" Toronto Globe and Mail
(11/05/92), P. A7  (Wilson, Deborah)
     Women encounter severe difficulties in reducing their risk of HIV
infection, delegates to a conference held in Vancouver, British
Columbia, were told this week.  The members of a panel addressing AIDS
and HIV infection said that while the number of HIV-positive women
continues to increase, these individuals still face  obstacles in
receiving timely diagnoses.  The panel members said  that teenaged
girls, battered women, and incest victims may lack  control over their
sexual activity and be more at risk for HIV  infection through
unprotected sex.  Many women do not have the  courage to demand safe sex
practices from partners or may  experience violent reactions to such
demands.  Nancy McPherson, a delegate who works with battered women,
said a lot of safe sex  advice is not practical.  She said suggestions
to use a condom  are "really insulting to a woman who says the last time
I tried  to assist my partner in using a condom he broke three of my
ribs."  Another delegate, Evelyn Hildebrand, a member of a  support
group for HIV-positive women, said she is most concerned  about teenage
girls' lack of self-esteem and their reluctance to  insist on safe sex.
Although violence against women increased  their risk of HIV infection,
problems in diagnosis and treatment  are believed to make the situation
worse.  These complications  involve the failure of many doctors to
correctly diagnose  HIV-related symptoms, critical attitudes by
professionals in the  health-care industry, and reluctance to test women
for HIV.

"No Magic Answers" USA Today (11/06/92), P. 14A
     Due to fears among fellow basketball players about the potential
for contracting HIV during play, Magic Johnson decided to leave  the
National Basketball Association.  Hopefully, in the near  future facts
will override fear in the age of AIDS and many  HIV-positive people can
live normal lives, write the editors of  USA Today.  After incurring a
cut on the arm during an exhibition basketball game, Johnson learned
that some teammates and  opponents were fearful about playing with him
in the  sometimes-bloody contact sport.  On Monday, Johnson announced
his decision to retire again from the basketball league.  However,  the
facts say the players had little to fear.  Among the  estimated 250,000
AIDS cases reported in the last 10 years, not a single infection has
been attributed to sports contact, according to the National Commission
on AIDS.  Moreover, the NBA  requires  players who get cut to leave the
game immediately for treatment  by trainers, who must wear latex gloves.
But the same fear of  AIDS that drove Magic from the game has caused
hundreds of  nurses, clerks, and other HIV-positive people to lose their
jobs. Johnson's retirement should not be a tragedy, but a warning of
what can happen when fear dominates science.  Dealing with fear  and
ignorance about AIDS is difficult, but with practice and hard work,
maybe the facts about the disease will defeat fear in the  end, say the
editors.

"Woman Sues Magic, Says He Gave Her AIDS Virus" Washington Post
(11/06/92), P. F4
     A woman has filed a lawsuit against Magic Johnson in Michigan
federal court, claiming  he infected her with HIV in June 1990,
according to a Thursday night report on ABC News' "Prime Time  Live."
The television program reported the lawsuit and aired an  interview in
which Johnson spoke of his second retirement from  the Los Angeles
Lakers on Monday.  Johnson, through his lawyers,  told "Prime Time Live"
that he had sex with the woman, but said  he is not sure if he
contracted HIV from her, or if she got it  from him.  The show reported
that the anonymous woman filed the  suit last Friday.  This week,
however, an AIDS expert said that  Johnson may have been infected for
several years before testing  HIV-positive before his retirement last
November.   Related Story: USA Today (11/06) P. 1D

"966 Inmates Positive in a TB Exposure Test" Philadelphia Inquirer
(11/05/92), P. B1  (Goodman, Howard)
     A total of 966 inmates at Philadelphia-area Graterford Prison,
which has a population of 4,100, tested positive on the skin test for
tuberculosis, prison officials announced on Wednesday.   Further testing
of 575 of the affected inmates, however, did not  yield one active case
of TB, said officials.  The remaining  affected inmates have not yet
undergone additional testing.  But  health officials say that a large
majority of people who test  positive on the skin test, known as PPD
skin testing, never  actually develop TB.  Yet the test does alert
doctors to  administer chest X-rays as another step toward detecting
cases of the disease.  Graterford's spokesman A.J. LeFebvre said the
absence of any active TB cases to date showed that fears  expressed by
the American Civil Liberties Union of an "imminent  outbreak" of the
potentially deadly disease were unfounded.   Nevertheless, Elizabeth
Alexander, an ACLU attorney, said  yesterday that the large number of
skin-test positives was a  "shocking total" and that they indicated that
inmates are  unknowingly being exposed to TB germs within the state
prison  system.  Graterford implemented the sweeping TB testing program
last week after a recent federal court order was established and
reports of TB cases increased nationally, especially in prisons.  Walter
Tsou, a physician with the Montgomery County Health  Department, said
that additional investigation is needed to  discover the source of
infection.  Tsou added that less than 8  percent of the American
population is estimated to test positive  on the PPD test, which is far
less than the 23 percent recorded  at Graterford.

"A Health Survey in Delco Presents a Mixed Picture" Philadelphia
Inquirer (11/05/92), P. B6  (McCullough, Marie)
     Delaware County, Pa., residents have an above-average chance of
developing AIDS, venereal disease, breast cancer, and lung  cancer,
according to a report issued yesterday by Crozer-Keystone Health System.
The group conducted the study over a 14-month  period and spent
$250,000.  Experts from Temple, Johns Hopkins,  and Fordham Universities
performed the study by compiling  federal, state, and local statistics,
household surveys, and  observations of medical and community groups.
The study found  that overall, Delaware County residents are in
excellent health,  which reflects their level of education and
affluence.  The study compared Delaware County with other counties in
the state and 197 populous counties in the nation, then standardized
Delaware  County's scores and presented them as percentile ranks.  It
was  revealed that Delaware County ranks second in syphilis and
gonorrhea incidence and fourth in AIDS case rates among counties  in the
state.  John C. McMeekin, Crozer-Keysone's president and  chief
executive officer, said the objective of the study was to  identify
health needs and propose strong medicine--a major  undertaking in a
county that includes urban, suburban, and even  rural demographics and
lifestyles.

"Blood is Both Health and Economic Issue in Albania" United Press
International (11/04/92)  (Cota, Lulzim)
     Tirana, Albania--Hospitals in several Albanian cities are
curtailing elective surgeries and handling emergency cases only,  due to
a month-long strike by blood donors who are demanding more money.  The
incidence is a direct result of Albania's devastating economic
situation.  Albanians earn an average monthly income of  about $7.  In
addition, approximately 80 percent of workers in  the population of 3.5
million are out of a job as the nation  copes with making the
transition.  One Albanian said, "Two years  ago I received 300 leks ($3)
for 300 milliliters.  With this I  could buy 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of
meat.  But for the 450 leks ($4.50) they pay me now, I get only 3
kilograms (6.6 pounds).   Thus, to compensate for the additional price
of food, we need  more money."  Due to the worsening economic situation,
some of  the donors have gone to Greece to sell their blood for prices
up  to 50 times what they receive at home.  Dr. Agim Kociraj,  director
of the National Blood Offering Center, believes the  problem is the old
system of paying the donors.  "If people  receive money for their blood,
they may be tempted to conceal  diseases.  Our center is a modern one
and we can discover  diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis, but in other
districts they  are not able to do these analyses."  Furthermore, he
said, the  old system "is uncontrollable and contains the probability of
spreading blood diseases."

"Clinic Blasts Washington Post for Refusing to Run Ad on AIDS"
Washington Business Journal (11/08/92) Vol.11, No.23, P.21 (Love, Alice
A.)
     The executive director of Washington's Whitman-Walker Clinic, an
AIDS organization, is outraged by the squeamish approach the  Washington
establishment takes regarding AIDS prevention  advertising.  Previously,
Jim Graham chastised the Centers for  Disease Control for its negligence
in its "America Responds to  AIDS" ad campaign.  Now, Graham is upset
with the Washington  Post, which refused to feature one of the clinic's
ads in its  Health section last month.  "The Post's actions are
hypocritical, homophobic and out of touch with the realities of HIV
prevention," said Graham.  Apparently, the newspaper committed to
feature three ads for Whitman-Walker's annual fall HIV prevention
campaign directed at gay and bisexual men  Subsequently, it  reneged on
one ad that shows two shirtless men embracing while  one holds an
unwrapped condom.  A spokesperson for the Post said  the newspaper would
not comment on the decision.  However, the  District government approved
the ad in question, which has been  displayed in poster form on downtown
bus terminals.