home
***
CD-ROM
|
disk
|
FTP
|
other
***
search
/
The Pier Shareware 6
/
The_Pier_Shareware_Number_6_(The_Pier_Exchange)_(1995).iso
/
026
/
ad941206.zip
/
AD941206.TXT
Wrap
Text File
|
1994-12-06
|
11KB
|
201 lines
AIDS Daily Summary
December 6, 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
************************************************************
"H.I.V. As a Defense in a Murder Trial"
"SEPTA Loses AIDS Privacy Judgment"
"Two Similar Cases of Dentists, AIDS"
"In Romanian Port, Orphans Suffer with Poverty, Neglect and AIDS"
"Clean Needles Slow AIDS"
"AIDS Victim's Parents, Friend at Odds over Burial"
"NZ Court Puts Kenyan on Trial in AIDS Case"
"On Shaky Ground"
"Manager Training"
"Books: Amazing Grace"
************************************************************
"H.I.V. As a Defense in a Murder Trial"
New York Times (12/06/94) P. A14; Dunlap, David W.
An approaching murder trial in Laurel, Miss., has many gay
organizers worried that the case may be decided on whether the
two homosexual victims were infected with HIV. J. Ronald
Parrish, the lawyer for the defense, said he will argue that the
accused shot the two men when they tried to sexually assault him.
Parrish said the case is not about whether the accused thought
the men might be infected with HIV. Instead, he said it is about
whether the men had the virus and had gone out seeking sex, in
which case their behavior would have been comparable to that a
man carrying a loaded gun--and could therefore be considered an
"aggravating factor." The judge ordered HIV testing of the two
men's blood, but has not disclosed the results or whether the
results will be admissible in the trial. April Richards,
president of the G.L. Friendly Community Center in Biloxi, Miss.,
said "If these tests are allowed in court and the accused is
released for 'justifiable homicide,' we will be setting a legal
precedent: that killing someone with H.I.V. or someone who is
presumed to be H.I.V.-positive, will not only be acceptable but
excusable by the law." The accused has been charged with two
counts of murder, each carrying a maximum sentence of life in
prison.
"SEPTA Loses AIDS Privacy Judgment"
Philadelphia Inquirer (12/06/94) P. B1; Slobodzian, Joseph A.
A federal court jury concluded that a SEPTA manager's
constitutional right to privacy was violated when an
administrator discovered he his illness with AIDS during a review
of employee prescription claims. The jury also found that the
administrator, Judith Pierce, violated the manager's privacy.
Although Pierce was not dealt any punitive damages, she plans to
appeal the verdict. SEPTA was held liable for failing to train
Pierce and others about the privacy rights of employees. "John
Doe" was awarded $125,000 in damages for "mental and emotional
distress."
"Two Similar Cases of Dentists, AIDS"
Washington Post (Health) (12/06/94) P. 5; Boodman, Sandra G.
Two Florida dentists are suspected on infecting their patients
with HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
concluded in the first case that Dr. David Acer somehow
transmitted HIV to six of his patients during dental procedures.
In the second case, the CDC decided that the dentist in question
did not infect 28 of his patients who contracted HIV. He worked
in a poor Miami neighborhood and sometimes reused disposable
equipment, but most of the patients had sex or drug habits that
put them at high risk for HIV, the investigators concluded. Both
cases were decided on the similarity of DNA viral sequences.
Acer's patients had very similar strains, while the other dentist
and his patients were infected with different viral strains. The
Acer case is the only documented instance of HIV transmission
from an infected health care worker to patients. During the past
year, media reports--including one by Mike Wallace of "60
Minutes"--raised questions of Acer's guilt and the CDC's use of
DNA viral sequences. Wallace suggested that the six patients had
other AIDS risk factors that the CDC ignored or was unaware of.
During Wallace's broadcast, a virologist called the sequencing
technique inconclusive. Harold Jaffe, head of the CDC's AIDS
division, accused "60 Minutes" of omitting information that
contradicts the program's conclusions. Related Story: Houston
Chronicle (12/02) P. 4A
"In Romanian Port, Orphans Suffer with Poverty, Neglect and AIDS"
Journal of Commerce (12/06/94) P. 7B; Dascalu, Roxana
In Romania, children have been the worst hit by AIDS. More than
90 percent of all known cases of HIV-infection are in children
under the age of 12. The source of infection is believed to be
blood sold by poor sailors, which went immediately to the areas
of greatest need, such as hospitals and orphanages. One half of
the HIV-positive children in Romania were infected through
unscreened blood and lack of disposable syringes before the 1989
revolution that ended the rule of communist dictator Nicolae
Ceausescu. Rodica Matusa, the AIDS coordinator for Constantza--
the port with the highest number of HIV-infected children in
Europe--said that most of the HIV-infected children are orphans
or were abandoned at birth. There has been a shift, however, and
now most new cases are being sexually transmitted to mothers.
Foreign aid groups have tried to establish places where the
children can live "like normal children," but still receive
treatment. Matusa said that while "life expectancy was only a
few months in 1989," because of the love and treatment found in
the AIDS hospices, "now I have children who have lived for more
than five years."
"Clean Needles Slow AIDS"
New York Times (12/06/94) P. A22
The evidence that researchers in New York City found that
providing clean needles to drug addicts can slow the spread of
HIV strengthens the case for needle exchange programs in New York
and all other cities with injection drug users at risk, write the
editors of the New York Times. Thus far, no study has measured a
notable decline in AIDS infections among addict. The most
significant finding was that only 1 to 2 percent of the enrollees
became HIV-infected each year, compared to 4 to 5 percent among
those not enrolled. The study also found that needle exchange
programs do not increase or encourage drug use--two of the main
fears in the opposition to such programs. Although the lower
rate of infection may be explained by participants who are more
highly motivated than other addicts to avoid risky behavior, the
provision of clean needles and the support provided by the
programs' staff members were also significant. If the findings
that regular participation in needle exchange programs can reduce
the risk of infection by 50 percent can be confirmed, all states
should use exchange programs to fight AIDS, conclude the New York
Times editors.
"AIDS Victim's Parents, Friend at Odds over Burial"
Chicago Tribune (12/05/94) P. 1-3
A legal battle has erupted between the parents of a Michigan man,
O'Jay Bewley, and the man's lover of 12 years. The man, who died
of AIDS-related complications, left a will but did not indicate
where he wanted to be buried. The parents want him buried near
their home in Texas, but their son's longtime companion wants him
to be buried in Michigan. He contends that Bewley wanted to be
buried in Michigan and that they had bought burial plots
together. A decision will be made at a hearing on Dec. 12.
"NZ Court Puts Kenyan on Trial in AIDS Case"
Reuters (12/04/94)
The trial of a Kenyan musician who is charged with willfully
infecting a woman with HIV began in New Zealand on Monday. The
man pleaded not guilty to charges of transmitting the virus that
causes AIDS to one women and endangering the lives of another
four. If convicted, he will face up to 14 years in prison.
"On Shaky Ground"
Advocate (11/29/94) No. 669, P. 36; Gallagher, John
Although San Francisco General Hospital's Ward 5A is
internationally known for the AIDS care it provides, it faces
many problems because of government cost-cutting and the changing
economics of the health care industry. San Francisco General,
like other public hospitals across the country, must keep its
costs low and compete with private institutions for patients
while providing care to an increasing number of indigent,
undocumented, and unprofitable patients. Also, California has
mandated that if public hospitals in the state's 13 largest
counties wish to continue participating in Medi-Cal, they must
initiate managed health care plans by early 1995. "With managed
care you have to luck out again and hope that your gatekeeper is
willing to do aggressive advocacy for your care for very little
money," said Gary Rose, associate director for legislative and
regulatory affairs for the National Association of People With
AIDS. Many AIDS patients, because they are tired of dealing with
San Francisco General's bureaucracy, have left Ward 5A in favor
of private hospitals that have their own AIDS units.
Increasingly, those who remain suffer from AIDS-related
complications, mental problems, and substance abuse. With a more
conservative Congress ready to emphasize cutbacks next year, Ward
5A and AIDS units at other hospitals will have to cope as best
they can.
"Manager Training"
Federal Times (11/14/94) Vol. 30, No. 40, P. 43
HIV and AIDS education programs are being offered to agency
managers by the Agriculture Department Graduate School .
"Special Issues for Supervisors and Managers" targets managers
who are dealing with life-threatening illnesses among staffers.
It covers subjects such as legal issues, federal policy, and the
emotional psychological problems faced by sick workers. "HIV and
TB: the Twin Epidemics," a related course, discusses the effects
of AIDS and tuberculosis on the workplace.
"Books: Amazing Grace"
Advocate (11/15/94) No. 668, P. 88; Pela, Robert L.
Queer and Loathing: Rants and Raves of a Raging AIDS Clone, by
the late David B. Feinberg, is a collection of previously
published magazine articles and speeches, as well as new
autobiographical essays. The pieces demonstrate with humor
Feinberg's struggle with his own infected status and the forces
behind his novels. For example, his list of "100 Ways You Can
Fight the AIDS Crisis" contains plans for assassinating Jesse
Helms, and his account of a visit to the Names quilt describes a
makeout session.