AIDS Daily Summary October 20, 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 "Most New Romanian AIDS Cases Under-Fives, Agency Says" Reuters (10/20/93) Bucharest--Seventy-five of 84 new cases of AIDS in Romania are children aged three to five years, reported Rompres, the state news agency. The country now has 2,545 registered AIDS patients, said the agency. Health ministry official Ludovic Paun, as quoted by Rompres, said that many of the children contracted the disease before the 1989 collapse of Communist rule, when hospital conditions were unsanitary. Paun reported that, so far this year, there have been no cases of AIDS in children younger than 12 months old. Unsterilized needles, a shortage of medical equipment, transfusions of contaminated blood, and transmission from mother to fetus explains the incidence of AIDS in small children, he said. "Suharto Calls for Serious Handling to Prevent AIDS Spread" United Press International (10/20/93) Jakarta--President Suharto of Indonesia, anxious to spare his people a dramatic rise in the number of HIV-infected people, is calling for more aggressive action to curb the spread of the virus, said Peoples' Welfare Minister Azwar Anas. Suharto's primary concern is that prevention efforts "be handled serious to avoid the repetition of what happened in Thailand," where medical experts estimate that 450,000 Thais are infected with the AIDS virus. The Indonesian government sent a team to that country to conduct research on the AIDS epidemic there, according to Anas. Without appropriate prevention programs, Anas said health experts were fearful that the number of infected Indonesians would rise to as many as 500,000 in 1995. Health Minister Suyudi estimates that the current number is up to about 15,000. Officials plan to assemble a national body to unite various agencies in the fight against AIDS. The government has also prodded leaders to become active in dispensing information about the disease, and plans to solicit the help of pimps to educate prostitutes about how to prevent infection. In addition, the authorities are expanding blood testing this year on 150,000 people in high risk groups, as well as on 700,000 regular Indonesian Red Cross donors. "Japanese Troops Get AIDS Virus in Cambodia--Paper" Reuters (10/20/93) Tokyo--Several Japanese soldiers who served as United Nations peacekeepers in Cambodia have returned carrying the AIDS virus, according to reports by the daily newspaper Sankei Shimbun. The article criticized the government for failing to adequately caution the soldiers about the health risks they would encounter. Before the soldiers were sent to Cambodia, the defense ministry was also criticized for a plan to supply them with condoms. That plan was aborted, and the men were asked to take their own supply of prophylactics. The newspaper did not say how many soldiers contracted the disease, or how. "Study Finds High Rate of Risky AIDS Behavior Among Lesbians" United Press International (10/19/93) (Wasowicz, Lidia) San Francisco--High rates of unsafe sex and intravenous drug abuse among gay and bisexual women place them at a significant risk for AIDS, according to two studies. The first study surveyed lesbians and bisexual women over age 16 in the San Francisco Bay area, and indicated that 1.2 percent were HIV-positive, a rate three times greater than for all women in the same age group in the city. Of the females questioned, 10.4 percent reported injecting drugs since 1978. In a second study of 483 gay and bisexual women, 47 percent of lesbians and 58 percent of bisexuals reported inconsistent use of condoms when having sex with a man. "Despite the lack of clear evidence of woman-to-woman transmission, the high rates of injection drug use and unsafe sexual behaviors with male and female partners suggests a potential for continued transmission of the AIDS virus," said Dr. George Lemp of the San Francisco Department of Public Health. Also, although the rates are currently low compared to other high-risk categories, Lemp said they will continue to rise given the levels of high-risk behavior in the population. "These studies suggest that targeted prevention programs should be expanded to address the needs of lesbians and bisexual women," interpreted study co-author Stephen Mills. "AIDS Exhibit" Associated Press (10/20/93) (Anthony, Ted) Philadelphia--Dozens of ordinary people have become the voice of AIDS in America as their portraits and words line the new exhibit "What About AIDS?" at the Franklin Institute Science Museum. "These are people, people you'd like to know, people who could be you," said exhibit project director Dr. Roberta Goldshlag Cooks. The exhibit features an area expressly designed for children, candid interactive video talks with actor Edward James Olmos offering condom use instruction, a phone connected to the National AIDS Hotline for people with questions, and a list of "101 Ways to Make Love Without Doin' It." During a test run, the project drew criticism from some activists who felt homosexual men were omitted, and from Roman Catholics who wanted an emphasis on abstinence. There were some revisions, but the final product was not watered down, said Elaine Wilner, a museum spokesperson. "We're trying to bring forth a very important message: that AIDS isn't who you are, it's what you do," explained Cooks. "This shows how personal science can be." The exhibit premieres today in Philadelphia and New York, then will tour the country until 1996. "HIV Virus Stolen in Denmark" Reuters (10/18/93) Copenhagen--Seventy-five test tubes containing the AIDS virus were stolen this weekend from Hvidovre Hospital in Copenhagen, Denmark, according to police. The test tubes were removed from a locked freezer at the hospital, where cells are cultivated as part of research to discover a treatment for the incurable disease. The authorities are concerned that the thieves may have mistaken the HIV for drugs that could be sold. "This is deadly serious," said police officer Joergen Bach, urging the robbers to immediately return the stolen items and their contents. "Biblical Comedy to Benefit AIDS" PR Newswire (10/18/93) San Diego--A biblical comedy scheduled to premiere Oct. 21 will donate ticket proceeds from its San Diego engagements to the AIDS organization "Being Alive-San Diego." The film "In the Beginning," a Screaming Crab Production, is a full-length mockery of Bible films of the 1950s and 1960s in the tradition of Monty Python and Mel Brooks. "Army AIDS Vaccine Trial Faces New Block" Nature (10/07/93) Vol. 365, No. 6446, P. 481 Congress recently passed a bill that could derail the U.S. Army's proposed $20-million clinical trial of a controversial AIDS vaccine. Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) proposed the amendment to the defense appropriations bill, which allows the Army more time to agree with the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration on trial details. AIDS activists protest that renegotiation could hinder the trial of gp160 by diverting the $20 million to other Army medical research projects. The vaccine is the product of MicroGeneSys, a pharmaceutical company based in Connecticut. The Senate initiated the vaccine's trial as part of last year's budget. "HIV-Infected Should Get Flu Shot" Washington Blade (10/08/93) Vol. 24, No. 43, P. 27 The U.S. Public Health Service is urging HIV-infected individuals to receive a flu vaccination shot as soon as possible. In February, the influenza virus mutated into a new strain, against which the old vaccine offers no protection, said the agency. The new vaccine was developed to shield against the new variety of flu. "For some HIV-infected persons, symptoms may be prolonged and the risk of complications increased," said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC also warned that even the new vaccine may not protect patients in the advanced stages of AIDS.