NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #26/NN_1992_26.iso/spool/sci/med/aids/2006

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Subject: CDC Summary 11/13/92
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                          AIDS Daily Summary
                          November 13, 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
************************************************************************
 "Flynn to Veto Condom Statute" Boston Globe (11/12/92), P. 29  (Walker,
Adrian)
    Mayor Flynn of Boston indicated Wednesday he will veto a city
ordinance that calls for the installation of coin-operated condom
machines in businesses that hold liquor licenses and have a  seating
capacity in excess of 100 patrons.  Flynn vetoed a  previous draft of
the ordinance in August.  The city's  corporation counsel, Albert
Wallis, recommended that Flynn reject the ordinance on the grounds that
it is too broad and  unconstitutional.  "You can't order a private
business to install and maintain condom machines in their premise.  On
that basis,  I'll have to veto the bill again," remarked Flynn.
Meanwhile,  Councilor David Scondras argued that Flynn is only hiding
behind  the reasoning of his legal counsel, when in fact, he is acting
on his religious beliefs.  "He's imposing his religious beliefs on  all
of us in the middle of a devastating public health crisis,"  added
Scondras.  Flynn, who opposes the distribution of condoms  in public
schools, explained yesterday that young people should  exercise
abstinence as a means to prevent the spread of HIV.  "I  think that
tragically the issue of abstinence has not been  thoroughly discussed as
an important safeguard in protecting the  health and safety of young
people," Flynn said.

"Survey Finds Many Americans Ignore 'Safe Sex,' Risk AIDS" Washington
Post (11/13/92), P. A2
     Millions of Americans are putting themselves at risk of
contracting the AIDS virus by not practicing "safe sex," reports  the
largest national sexual survey since the 1948 Kinsey report.  The survey
of more than 10,000 Americans revealed that  heterosexuals fail to
recognize the risk of AIDS and that many  engage in unprotected sex with
multiple partners.  The  researchers found that seven percent of
respondents admitted to  having multiple sex partners over the last
year.  Only 17 percent of heterosexual adults who said they had engaged
in sex with two  or more partners over the past five years, 31 percent
had put  themselves at some level of risk of contracting HIV.  Only 17
percent of respondents with multiple sex partners said they used
condoms all of the time.  Of respondents who had engaged in  intercourse
with high-risk individuals, only 13 percent used  condoms.  Although
AIDS has been most prevalent among homosexuals and intravenous drug
users, "it is just a matter of time before  it will spread widely into
the heterosexual community," said the  author of the study, Joseph
Catania of the University of  California at San Francisco.  The reason
for low condom-use among heterosexuals, said Catania, is because "you
have a situation  where heterosexuals don't see themselves being at
risk."  While  heterosexuals may not be at a very high risk at present,
"that  situation isn't going to stay constant and that's the problem,"
he remarked.

"The Quest for Magic Wands" Washington Post (11/13/92), P. A27
(Krauthammer,Charles)
     Americans have a fascination with appointing "czars" to resolve
impossible social ills that appear to have been neglected in the  cycles
of democracy, writes Charles Krauthammer.  During the  1970s, Jimmy
Carter had an "inflation czar;" in the 1980's, the  Republican
administration appointed a "drug czar."  In a  political move to appear
sensitive to the AIDS issue,  President-elect Bill Clinton has promised
he will name an "AIDS  czar."  While this may be a political move to
satisfy the segment of the constituency that has gone unnoticed, the
danger of  Clinton's proposed figure-head is that he may actually
believe  that such a person could solve the AIDS crisis.  Furthermore,
Democrats assume that under Republican rule, the issue of AIDS  was for
the most part ignored.  However, Krauthammer notes that  AIDS has
received more attention than any other illness and that  it has been the
subject of more medical research than any other  illness in history.
Additionally, AIDS patients receive more  research dollars than
sufferers of any other disease.   Krauthammer concludes that presidents
who emphasize an activist  government are to blame for America's
domestic problems.

"Free Nutritional Assessment Program for HIV Patients" United Press
International (11/12/92)
     Columbus, Ohio--Ross Laboratories and two other companies are
sponsoring a free nutritional assessment program for individuals  who
are infected with HIV and are treated by a group of  participating
doctors.  Proper nutrition can prolong and enhance  the quality of life
for HIV patients, said Ross spokeswoman  Brenda Burris and Physicians
Association for AIDS Care executive  director Gordon Nary on Wednesday.
Burris added that patients  would receive a nutrition "prescription"
based on information  sent by participating physicians and three-day
food diaries  provided by the patients.  Ross developed a computer
program to  assess and track patients' nutritional status.  Like persons
with other chronic illnesses, AIDS patients must take several kinds of
drugs which often cause terrible gastrointestinal problems.  As a
result, AIDS patients often feel sick, tend to eat poorly, and  can't
retain what they consume, said Dr. Rob Crane, head of  resident HIV/AIDS
education at Riverside Methodist Hospitals in  Columbus.

"Amid AIDS Fears, Philippine Lawmakers Call for Limiting Port  Calls"
United Press International (11/11/92)
     Manila, Philippines--Philippine lawmakers are concerned about the
spread of AIDS in this country where foreign sailors are  permitted to
make port calls.  President Fidel Ramos' sister,  Senator Leticia
Shahani, said "The matter of AIDS is worse than  military invasion."
Shahani is pushing the government to consult with state health officials
before permitting foreign troops to  go on shore leave in the
Philippines.  Senator Blas Ople, who  heads the foreign-affairs
committee, said that while the country  allows foreign ships to repair
and refuel in the Philippines, he  is concerned that Philippine cities
may become "R-and-R centers." The Philippine Senate decided not to renew
the U.S. military's  lease on Subic Bay Naval Base last year, with some
lawmakers  saying they feared sailors might spread sexually transmitted
diseases.  However, the port-call issue remains--Washington and  Manila
agreed last week to allow U.S. military vessels and planes to use the
Philippine facility after Nov. 24 on a commercial  basis.

"Researchers Test Gene Therapy Against AIDS" Science (10/30/92) Vol.
258, No. 5083, P. 745  (Thompson, Larry)
     At the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's meeting on gene therapy,
few people attending knew that such therapy would be used to  treat
AIDS.  Joseph Sodroski, a virologist at the Dana-Farber  Cancer
Institute, held a talk titled, "Newer Strategies for Gene  Therapy for
AIDS," which surprised many.  He said, "We are  considering HIV as a
vector for [putting anti-AIDS genes into the cells of] people who are
already infected with the HIV virus."   Defeating AIDS with HIV is the
most recent twist on the idea of  attacking the disease with gene
therapy.  Many researchers have  sought to transplant a variety of genes
into the cells of AIDS  patients to elicit proteins that block HIV.  But
progress has  been slow.  One problem is getting the genes into the
cells HIV  attacks.  Also, the virus mutates so rapidly that it seems
able  to slip past the various inhibitors that researchers are trying
to put in its path.  Sodroski's plan is expected to use a  modified form
of HIV to transfer anti-HIV genes into patients.   The vector would, for
example, infect the same cells as the  natural HIV, targeting only those
that need treatment or are  likely to become infected.  Furthermore,
HIV's efficient gene  transfer mechanisms would integrate the antiviral
genes directly  into the DNA of the target cell.  Nevertheless,
Sodroski's group  still has several problems to resolve.  These include
creating a  cell line that produces high concentrations of HIV vector
and  maintaining long-term expression of the transplanted gene.
Sodroski hopes to ultimately take uninfected white blood cells  out of
an AIDS patient, insert an antiviral gene, and then inject the now-
protected cells to the body.

"Condom Campaign Shocks India" Adweek (11/02/92) Vol. 33, No. 44, P. 64B
(Tilles, Daniel)
     In a country where explicit kissing scenes on television are
forbidden, a heated TV and print campaign created by Lintas:  Bombay for
KamaSutra condoms has gotten underway in India.  The  effort was
developed in part to address the rampant Indian  population explosion in
addition to the troubling prevalence of  HIV infection, according to
Barry Day, a vice chairman with  Lintas: Worldwide.  "Lintas wanted to
do something that wasn't  limited in its appeal, the way most other
public service  approaches to this problem have been to this point,"
said Day.   Both favorable and unfavorable controversy have emerged as a
result of the advertisements.  State television in India rejected two of
the three original television commercials because they  were considered
too explicit, according to reports.

"Indiana: AIDS Policy" American Medical News (11/09/92) Vol. 35, No. 42,
P. 19
     A proposal that required routine HIV testing for patients  admitted
to Indiana hospitals failed to garner full support among state doctors.
The measure, which also entailed contract tracing of HIV-positive
individuals, was submitted to the Indiana State  Medical Assn. Board of
Trustees for additional review.  The ISMA  also objected to a proposed
rule from the Indiana State Board of  Health that would require
physicians to document AIDS counseling. The doctors indicated they would
contest any mandate involving  patients' medical records..