AIDS Daily Summary October 21, 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 "AIDS Czar Tells Americans to Seek Their Pleasure in Sex" Washington Times (10/21/93) P. A1 (Price, Joyce) President Clinton's AIDS czar claims that discussing sex "in terms of don't and disease" is an ineffective approach, and that the nation must begin looking at sex as an "essentially important and pleasurable thing." According to sources, Kristine Gebbie wants to change the way America views AIDS, and she believes that this country's "puritanical roots need to be examined" in order to do so. Unless Americans begin to alter views of sex, "we will continue to be a repressed Victorian society that misrepresents information, denies sexuality early, denies homosexual sexuality--particularly in the teens--and leaves people abandoned with no place to go," Gebbie declared yesterday at a conference on teenage pregnancy. Her remarks came under immediate fire. "Her statements are utterly stupid, totally irresponsible and unfounded," scoffed Rev. Donald Wildmon, president of the American Family Association. "What porn company does she work for?" Phyllis Schlafly, president of the Eagle Forum, commented, "The people who believe what she's saying are the ones getting the diseases... People who have Victorian morality aren't." Gebbie's special assistant, Ben Merrill, defended the AIDS czar, saying that her message is a common theme of hers and is "something that needs to be said." "Proposal to Track HIV Coming Under Criticism" Baltimore Sun (10/21/93) P. 2B AIDS activists, health experts, and care-givers in Baltimore, Md., are in opposition to a state-proposed method of tracking people with HIV. Under the AIDS Administration plan, all persons testing HIV-positive would be assigned a 14-number code consisting of the individual's last six Social Security number digits, six digits reflecting date of birth, one number indicating race, and one indicating sex. The proposed reporting system complies with 1992 legislation requiring that such tracking efforts refrain from using names; however, critics warn that the code system will nevertheless cause people to avoid treatment. Opponents do support the idea of a tracking system, but one that promises anonymity. "A helpful tool in our outreach system is the promise of absolute anonymity," said John Hannay, executive director of the Gay and Lesbian Community Center. "The system that has been proposed does away with that." "Who Invented AZT? Big Bucks Are Riding on What Sleuths Find" Wall Street Journal (10/21/93) P. A1 (Felsenthal, Edward) Trying to determine who actually invented the AIDS drug AZT is indicative of how searching for drug inventors has become a legal nightmare. Once simple, it is now difficult to assess the true inventor because modern drug development is a complex process that requires the combined expertise and cooperation of so many scientists. The search is significant, however, because the first person to develop an idea is legally awarded exclusive rights to sell it. Now, 10 years after Burroughs Wellcome Co. and the National Institutes of Health began working jointly with AZT, they are still in opposition over who deserves the credit. Although the drug didn't surface on the market until 1987, the list of possible inventors reaches back as far as 1964. In that year, a Dr. Jerome Horowitz created the compound AZT. No one denies this, but inventors have to prove that their discoveries do something useful. Horowitz hoped to use the drug to treat cancer, but it didn't work, and AIDS was unheard of then. AZT sat on the shelf for years until, in 1983, Burroughs Wellcome began looking for AIDS treatments. Researchers at the company found that the drug destroyed a mouse virus similar to HIV. This work alone did not justify a patent because it failed to prove the drug worked against the virus in humans. In 1986, the drug company sent AZT to NIH, which was also searching for an AIDS solution, and the two began collaboration. Some say that it was NIH scientists who actually discovered that AZT blocked HIV in human cells. The legal system has so far been in favor of Burroughs Wellcome, but the battle is far from over. "Hearing Focuses on Spread of AIDS Among Latinos" Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (10/21/93) P. B3 (Shuit, Douglas P.) Dozens of health care workers and AIDS activists testified yesterday before a panel of 15 elected officials and civic leaders at a Los Angeles hearing that focused on the spread of AIDS among the Latino community. According to statistics, one-third of all county cases of AIDS in 1992 were among Latinos. Other studies indicate that Latinas account for a disproportionately high number of women with HIV/AIDS, and that many are transmitting the virus to their infants during pregnancy. In addition, 41 percent of the infected children in the county are Latinos. Health officials report that Latinos, more than any other group, seek treatment only in the late phases of disease. Roland Palencia of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation testified that attitudes within the Latino community are so strongly opposed to gay sex that people are reluctant to admit to it. "There is a lot of homophobia ...," said Palencia. "People don't want to expose themselves to that." Religious considerations, especially the Roman Catholic Church's stance on condoms, contribute. Elliot Johnson, administrator of the HIV/AIDS clinic at USC Medical Center noted that many Latinos come in with full-blown AIDS, yet it is the first time they have seen a doctor. "It appears to us the word is not getting out," said Johnson. Part of the problem is that warnings often are in English and not Spanish, said AIDS workers. Also, they pointed out, the Latino community does not have a well-recognized figure like Elizabeth Taylor or Magic Johnson to help spread safe-sex messages. "Man Enters Insanity Plea in Biting Incident" Chicago Tribune (10/20/93) P. 1-3 A man charged with attempted murder for trying to infect a police officer with the AIDS virus has entered a plea of insanity. Charles A. Rucker, 32, is accused of biting the officer who responded to a June 6 domestic quarrel at his home. He allegedly warned police "I have AIDS and you are all going to die." Rucker pleaded innocent by reason of mental disease on Monday in a Wisconsin courtroom. Previous evaluations had declared Rucker able to stand trial, but Rock County Circuit Court Judge Edwin Dahlberg ordered more psychiatric tests and set a hearing for Nov. 22. "German Official May Have Hushed Up AIDS Blood Link" Reuters (10/19/93) (Christie, Michael) Bonn--German Health Minister Horst Seehofer suspended a Federal Health Agency (BGA) official Tuesday following allegations that he covered up evidence that blood products supplied by a pharmaceutical company were tainted with HIV. A top AIDS scientist informed Seehofer about the BGA official's failure in 1990 to reveal that blood products had tested HIV-positive, and also notified the drug firm implicated, according to Seehofer, who declined to name either the official or the company. Investigators for the health minister are expected to report by the end of the week on accusations that the BGA was over-friendly with the pharmaceutical industry. "Drugs and Needle-Sharing Fuel AIDS in German Jails" Reuters (10/19/93) Bonn, Germany--Heroin addiction and needle-sharing in German prisons is contributing to the spread of AIDS among that population, according to a consortium of about 130 German AIDS groups. Heroin is so abundant in correctional facilities that it is priced even less than street value, the groups claim. A shortage of syringes, however, leads to needle-sharing that results in close to 400 HIV infections each year. "Drug users in prison are three times more likely to be infected with the HIV virus than drug users who have never gone to jail," calculates Ulrich Heide, head of Positive Living, an AIDS foundation. The organizations estimate that one in 50 German inmates contracts HIV, in comparison to only one in 1,000 for the general population. Overall, 6,000 Germans get the virus each year. The groups, which began examining the problem of drug abuse and AIDS in the German prison system in May 1992, urged the country's justice ministers to experiment with drug substitution programs and distribution of throw-away syringes. "Photo Auction Raises Thousands for AIDS Charity" Reuters (10/19/93) London--An auction of pieces by acclaimed photographers including Annie Leibovitz, Lord Snowdon, Cecil Beaton, and David Bailey raised over $53,000 Tuesday for a top British AIDS agency. More than 100 photographs were bought, including Irving Penn's 1980 abstract called "Blast," which earned the highest price at $2,830. Many of the pictures featured celebrities. Snowdon's portrait of artist David Hockney went for $1,490, while a 1992 Leibovitz photo of rocker Mick Jagger garnered $1,340. London auction house Christie's said the auction collected $54,610 for the London Lighthouse, Europe's largest residential and support center for men and women with AIDS. "AIDSLine: Is AZT Affecting My Ability to Build Muscle?" Advocate (10/05/93) No. 639, P. 34 (Cohan, Gary) As many as one half of HIV-positive men experience hypogonadism, a condition that results from a decrease in the body's production of testosterone. This occurs most frequently in patients whose T-cell counts have fallen below 200. HIV specialist Dr. Gary Cohan says that patients experiencing hypogonadism will notice muscle mass loss, decrease in sex drive, and smaller amounts of semen during ejaculation. Fortunately, the condition is easily treatable with monthly injections of testosterone esters, the same anabolic steroid used by bodybuilders, to promote muscle growth. ------- End of Forwarded Message