From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" <[email-masked]>

AIDS Daily Summary 
                      November 8, 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

"Biopharmaceutics Buys Stake in Hungarian HIV Research" 
Journal of Commerce (11/08/93) P. 7A 
     Biopharmaceutics Inc. will buy a half interest in an HIV compound 
developed by a Hungarian institute that has inhibited the virus  
in human cells.  In a 30-day test, the compound induced complete, 
irreversible inhibition of the virus while showing no toxicity in 
cell structures.  The institute plans to conduct human clinical  
trials in Hungary within a year and a half.  For a total of $5  
million, Biopharmaceutics will immediately pay $100,000 to the  
Hungarian Academy of Sciences' Central Research Institute for  
Chemistry and, after evaluating the institute's work, make five  
installments for the remaining $4.9 million. 
       
"Attitudes Clash on Jobs and AIDS" 
New York Times (11/07/93) P. F25  (Noble, Barbara Presley) 
     A survey conducted by the National Leadership Coalition on AIDS  
yielded conflicting attitudes about how workers perceive  
tolerance of the disease in the workplace.  When asked how their  
employers would treat an HIV-infected employee, 78 percent said  
that person would be treated like any other person with an  
illness, and 89 percent that they should be treated like any  
other employee.  But when asked if co-workers would feel  
comfortable working alongside an infected colleague, two-thirds  
said they would not, and a quarter said they should not feel  
comfortable.  A third said the employee would be dismissed or  
placed on disability at the first sign of sickness, and a quarter 
agreed that this was an appropriate action.  The discrepancy is  
attributed to the fact that people know what they are supposed to 
believe but, when asked about co-workers, they were able to voice 
their true feelings while placing those feelings in the context  
of another person.  "They could project it onto someone else,"  
explains Patrick May, communications director for the coalition,  
a group that advises the work force on AIDS-related issues.   
"It's probably closer to how people themselves feel."  The  
coalition will sponsor a conference tomorrow and Wednesday in  
Washington, D.C., where various business, labor, and public  
health organizations will discuss this issue and others. 
       
"Hearing for AIDS Researcher Is Postponed" 
New York Times (11/07/93) P. D24 
     Today's public hearing to review misconduct charges against AIDS  
researcher Dr. Robert Gallo has been postponed.  The delay was  
requested by the Office of Research Integrity, which brought the  
allegations against Gallo, head of a laboratory at the National  
Institutes of Health.  After a review board of the Department of  
Health and Human Services found one of Gallo's scientists not  
guilty of similar charges, the office said that the acquittal may 
have "significant implications" in the Gallo case and that the  
agency needed more time to re-evaluate its plans.  Gallo and Dr.  
Mikulas Popovic were accused of making false statements in a  
pioneering AIDS paper published in 1984.  Popovic, however, was  
cleared of the charges last week when the HHS review board  
concluded that the entire case was nothing more than differences  
in the interpretation of a few words and data points in the  
context of a long article.  The HHS announced that a review board 
hearing will be postponed until at least Nov. 15. 
       
"AIDS Fear Shadows Blood Supplies" 
Boston Globe (11/06/93) P. 2  (Nullis, Clare) 
     From flourishing West Europe to the world's most indigent  
countries, the possibility of AIDS-contaminated blood supplies  
has caused a panic that life-saving transfusions could lead to  
death from AIDS.  Disclosure that a German company distributed  
blood products that were, in fact, tainted sent other nations  
rushing to check their supplies.  According to the World Health  
Organization, the actual chances of contracting the AIDS virus  
through contaminated blood are low in wealthy countries and high  
in areas of the Third World.  "Globally, between 5 and 10 percent 
of cases are estimated to be due to transfusion-transmitted  
infection through blood and blood products," cited Dr. Jean  
Emmanuel of WHO's global program on AIDS.  Emmanuel noted,  
however, that industrialized nations have the technology to  
destroy viruses in blood products, the resources to test all  
supplies for HIV, and the infrastructure to ensure a safe blood  
supply.  Inconsistent testing procedures, lack of technology and  
expertise, and the expense of sterilizing blood products has made 
the risk of HIV infection through transfusion a continuing  
problem in developing countries, said Emmanuel. 
       
"Swiss Play Down AIDS Scare Over Imported Blood" 
Reuters (11/04/93) 
     Berne--The Swiss government sought to quell public fears that  
blood products imported from Germany may have been contaminated  
with the AIDS virus.  According to a government official, Swiss  
hospitals had bought blood products from two companies that were  
supplied by UB Plasma, the company shut down by German police  
last week on charges of inadequate HIV screening.  Franz Reigel,  
head of the department of immuno-biological products within the  
Swiss federal office of health, said the two companies would have 
destroyed any HIV when processing the blood supplied by UB  
Plasma.  "I would not recommend anyone to take an AIDS test  
unless someone is very nervous and wants to be calmed," he said. 
       
"Are We Our Workers' Teachers?" 
New York Times (11/07/93) P. F25 
     A question that arises from the issue of AIDS in the workplace is 
whether employers should bear the burden of teaching Americans  
about the disease.  Yes, says Patrick May of the National  
Leadership Coalition, who says that work is like school.  And  
just as school is now the place where many adolescents learn  
about safe sex, May contends that the workplace "should be a  
place to teach adults about sexually transmitted disease."  May  
finds no reason to avoid workplace education.  "AIDS affects  
people who are sexually active," he asserts.  "The bulk of the  
work force is 25 to 50.  That's people who are sexually active,  
and that's why it's a workplace issue."  The coalition encourages 
employers not only to provide medical information about AIDS, but 
to cultivate a life-affirming environment for infected employees, 
an effort that often involves confronting stereotypes and  
prejudices. 
       
"J. Schmalz, 39; Wrote About AIDS" 
Philadelphia Inquirer (11/08/93) P. A8 
     Jeffrey Schmalz, a New York Times journalist who, with insight  
and passion, covered stories about AIDS and the people infected  
and affected by it, died Saturday from complications of the  
virus.  Schmalz, a Times journalist for 20 years, discovered in  
1990 that he had AIDS.  He spent a year away from his job while  
he battled AIDS-related conditions, then returned to the paper,  
where he began his beat on AIDS and homosexual issues.  "To have  
AIDS is to be alone, no matter the number of friends and family  
members around," he wrote.  "Then, to be with someone who has  
HIV, be it interviewer or interviewee, is to find kinship." 
       
"AIDS Babies Get a Little Love in Soweto" 
Reuters (11/05/93)  (Tucker, David) 
     Soweto--The Salvation Army in Soweto has opened Bethesda House, a 
mercy clinic for South African children with HIV who have been  
abandoned by their families.  Salvation Army Captain Lini Jwili  
says the mothers and communities who desert infected children  
simply do not understand what AIDS is.  She says the suspicion  
and ignorance surrounding the disease is so strong that some  
black South Africans actually believe it was created by apartheid 
as a measure to preserve white rule.  Denis Lorimer, a Salvation  
Army Major, agrees, adding that people with HIV and AIDS are  
virtual outcasts in South Africa because of the ignorance and  
lack of AIDS-awareness education.  "The World Health Organization 
estimates there are about 10 million children orphaned by AIDS in 
Sub-Saharan Africa," says Lorimer.  "We can look after 12."  The  
children at Bethesda House are able to play with uninfected  
youngsters at a creche on clinic grounds.  The children, some of  
them as young as two years, are being educated about AIDS.  "The  
children are encouraged to interact with the HIV children," says  
Lorimer.  "In about 10 to 15 years, we hope that these [infected] 
children will be able to cope with AIDS in a way many of their  
parents cannot." 
       
"Princess of Wales Concert for World AIDS Day" 
Reuters (11/04/93) 
     London--In recognition of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, pop musicians 
George Michael, k.d. lang, and Mick Hucknell of Simply Red are  
scheduled to appear in the "Princess of Wales Concert of Hope."   
The event, which will take place at London's Wembley Arena, will  
benefit Britain's National AIDS Trust and Crusaid charities  
created to fight AIDS. 
       
"Medical Briefs" 
Advocate (11/02/93) No. 641, P. 34 
     In 1994, a new kind of condom will be available for men.   
Polyurethane condoms will be offered in addition to traditional  
latex condoms.  The new prophylactic features improved  
sensitivity and user acceptability because of a stronger, but  
thinner, clearer, and odorless film material. 
       
"Researcher Reports 'A Sense of Enthusiasm'" 
Washington Blade (10/29/93) Vol. 24, No. 46, P. 26  (Brinkley,  
Sidney) 
     The Sixth Annual National AIDS Update Conference, Oct. 19-23,  
featured over 100 workshop sessions covering a variety of topics. 
One of them identified a growing group of HIV-negative homosexual 
men who are suffering from "survival guilt" in terms of AIDS.   
Psychotherapist Thomas Moon said more attention should be paid to 
this psychological epidemic in which "men feel that being gay and 
being HIV-negative is 'cheating' and...unconsciously, some men  
feel that having AIDS is like being part of a club, a club they  
want to join."  Often, relapses into unsafe sex are motivated by  
this ambivalence about the right to live while others are dying,  
said Moon.  If the community is serious about reducing HIV  
infection, Moon said support and therapy groups, counseling, and  
workshops targeting this group should be adopted.  In another  
workshop, on lesbian issues, panelist Dr. Barbara Herbert shocked 
the audience by flat-out refusing to accept some safe sex  
guidelines recommended to lesbians, specifically the use of  
dental dams.  "For people who are worried about HIV transmission  
at any given moment of time, I think they know that dental dams  
are a cruel joke," said Herbert.  "We have no evidence that  
dental dams prevent anything."  She concluded that the devices  
give gay women a false sense of security and that anyone  
recommending them is doing the lesbian community a disservice. 
       
"AIDS Treatment" 
National Law Journal (10/11/93) Vol. 16, No. 6, P. S20  (Isbell,  
Michael) 
     The most litigated disease in history, AIDS has been the center  
of a flurry of suits against self-insured health plans limiting  
the benefits of people with AIDS-related illness.  Clinton's  
health plan could alter the legal terrain for AIDS-infected  
Americans, according to Michael Isbell, director of the AIDS  
Project of the LAMBDA Legal Defense and Education Fund.  Isbell  
identifies ways in which health reform might improve care for  
people infected with the AIDS virus.  If enacted, Clinton's plan  
would remove the need for litigation by including several  
mandates, such as the obligation of corporate alliances to offer  
equal benefits and options to all consumers.  The Clinton plan  
includes generous coverage of pharmaceutical products, allows  
Isbell, but AIDS patients often rely on "off-label" uses of  
prescription drugs, an issue the plan fails to adequately  
address.  To protect patients, the health package should outline  
strict federal guidelines mandating comprehensive coverage of  
medically necessary drugs, including off-label products and  
costly new AIDS drugs.  The fate of confidentiality protection  
laws for people with HIV remains unclear in Clinton's plan, but  
if disease surveillance is not clearly separate from medical  
records, the plan may discourage people from voluntarily learning 
HIV status, says Isbell. 

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