Subject: HOTWIRE!
From: "Seidel, Christopher" <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 25 May 1999 16:20:29 -0400

AIDS ACTION HOTWIRE!
May 25, 1999
[email-masked]
www.aidsaction.org

AIDS WARS: NO PHANTOM, JUST MENACE

"This summer, a new generation of young people will learn more about 
the dangers of the dark side of the Force than about the dangers of 
HIV and AIDS.  Young people who think that AIDS is over need to learn 
that the AIDS wars are no phantom, just menace." - AIDS Action 
Executive Director Daniel Zingale.

Many of today's young people may see the new Star Wars movie dozens of 
times yet not spend any time learning how to protect themselves from 
HIV, one of the most dangerous health threats to today's young people. 
 Half of the 40,000 new HIV infections in America every year are among 
people under 25 and new evidence points to an increase in unsafe sex 
among young people, many of whom are misperceiving new life-prolonging 
AIDS treatments as a cure.

A media campaign with a fraction of the hype surrounding the mythical 
Star Wars universe could help undo the myths many young people have 
about the current state of the AIDS epidemic.   AIDS Action has been 
advocating for reinvigorated youth prevention marketing through our 
ten-point Virtual Vaccine plan that is designed to treat prevention 
like the vaccine our nation desperately craves.  Among the Virtual 
Vaccine initiatives are more advertising, improved testing and an end 
to flat federal prevention funding.

ONE MORE INFECTION IS ONE TOO MANY
AIDS Action strongly endorsed a new bill introduced in the House last 
week that would require the use of safe needlesticks in the health 
care workplace.  Although HIV transmission from accidental needlestick 
injuries is extremely rare, better protective technologies could help 
to eliminate the risk of HIV in the medical setting.

"This bill could help make HIV transmission among health workers go 
from rare to extinct...." said AIDS Action Executive Director Daniel 
Zingale in the Kaiser HIV/AIDS Daily Report (5/24/99). "Fortunately, 
HIV is an extremely difficult virus to transmit. ... If passed, the 
Roukema-Stark bill will help make it nearly impossible."

Since the beginning of the AIDS epidemic, there have been less than 
150 possible or documented occupationally acquired HIV infections 
among health care workers in the United States.   The Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that accidental 
exposure to an HIV-tainted needle carries an infection risk of about 5 
in 1,000.  In addition, nearly 12,000 health care workers contract 
occupationally related hepatitis B infections every year.

CLINTON OKs MARIJUANA RESEARCH
The Clinton Administration's May 21st decision to ease marijuana 
availability for research was a small step toward science over 
politics.   But while we continue research into the medical benefits 
of marijuana, AIDS Action wants the federal government as well as 
state and local jurisdictions to act immediately and make smoked 
marijuana available to those who need it.  Indeed, a recent study by 
the NIH's Institute of Medicine found marijuana to be effective in 
reducing disease and treatment symptoms.  For the sake of those 
undergoing some of the worst imaginable human suffering, smoked 
marijuana should be made available immediately under secure 
distribution.

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