From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" 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. ------- End of Forwarded Message