AIDS Daily Summary December 3, 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 "US Companies to Assist Thai AIDS Awareness" Journal of Commerce (12/03/93) P. 4A (Corben, Ron) U.S. companies, among Thailand's largest investors, are poised to help combat the AIDS epidemic in that country. The disease is claiming increasing numbers within the middle class, including secretaries, marketing executives, assembly-line workers, and university graduates. According to James Reinnoldt, managing director of Northwest Airlines in Thailand and co-founder of an anti-AIDS coalition, the spread of AIDS will have "dire consequences" for the local economy and for the companies conducting business there. "AIDS is likely to have an even broader impact on the Thai economy, particularly on tourism, foreign direct investment, and labor remittances from abroad," reported a study by Bangkok's Population and Community Development Association. "A shortage of labor, both in quantity and quality, may occur with an increase in AIDS [and] high rates of absenteeism will certainly be disruptive to companies," it concluded. With the support of the American-based National Leadership Coalition on AIDS, U.S. firms have united with Thai business houses and banks through the recently formed Thailand Business Coalition on AIDS in promoting AIDS awareness and education programs. "Africans Ignoring AIDS Message" Toronto Globe and Mail (Canada) (12/02/93) P. A11 In Africa, which claims more than half of the world's carriers of the AIDS virus, a general attitude of disbelief is causing Africans to ignore the AIDS message. The African Development Bank, based in Abidjan, estimates that more than 7.5 million Africans have the AIDS virus, and that 1.2 million of them already have died. By the turn of the century, the bank predicts that 14 million sub-Saharan Africans will be infected. Despite these gloomy forecasts, the World Health Organization admits that lethargy about AIDS has stricken many countries. Noting that the national AIDS commission no longer distributes posters, an Abidjan pharmacist agrees that the message is not getting through. "The AIDS message seems to have lost steam," concedes Yeboua Konan. Further evidence can be observed in television. Condom ads, educational pitches, and a commercial featuring an AIDS song by a popular performer all ceased one month ago. Calls to the national AIDS hot line go unanswered as well, because government workers have not been paid since September. "CDC Recommends Female Condom in Fighting AIDS" Reuters (12/02/93) Atlanta--The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended use of Reality's female condom as a method of preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS. "Laboratory studies indicate that the female condom Reality--a lubricated polyurethane sheath with a ring on each end that is inserted into the vagina--is an effective mechanical barrier to viruses, including HIV," said the federal health agency. The CDC warned, however, that there is little proof of the device's effectiveness outside of the laboratory. The female condom is manufactured by Wisconsin Pharmacal Co. Inc. Also as part of a new series of treatment and prevention guidelines, the CDC implored physicians to explain male condom use to sexually active patients. The agency began recommending male condoms as protection against AIDS in 1988, but at that time did not have statistical evidence that they could actually prevent HIV infection. Several recent condom studies, however, show that "when used consistently and correctly, condoms are very effective in preventing a variety of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV infection," said the CDC. "Israel TV Moans About Condom Ad" Knight-Ridder (12/02/93) A condom spot was broadcast Wednesday on Israel's new commercial television station, but only after some forced adjustments intended to soften the ad's sexual suggestiveness, said an official. Before it was changed, the 10-second commercial featured a jeans-clad banana sliding in and out of its peel to the sounds of an unseen, moaning woman. According to Moti Weinberg, whose company produced the spot, the ad demonstrated that the German-produced R3 condom makes sex "safer and better." The revised adaptation of the commercial omitted the moans and rendered the banana immobile. Weinberg contends that the edits make the ad less effective, and said his company will no longer produce TV spots as part of the R3 condom campaign. The company will, however, continue nationwide billboard displays of the banana in its jeans. "Peace May Bring Israel More Tourists, More AIDS" Reuters (12/01/93) (Sappir, Susan) Kiryat Gat, Israel--Although Israel currently has a relatively low incidence of AIDS, experts say Middle East peace could create a surge in tourism and, with it, a greater risk of exposure to the virus. Inon Schenker, head of the Jerusalem AIDS Project and author of a unique AIDS education curriculum, says that, among a population of close to five million, there have been 264 cases of AIDS--from which 188 people have died--as well as an estimated 5,000 people thought to be HIV-infected. But, he says, Israel is in a dangerous location--right between Asia, Europe, and Africa. "Just think what a flood of tourism we can expect when peace comes," Schenker speculates. "We know the effect travel has on the spread of HIV and thus should expect a wider flow of the virus into Israel." The curriculum, called "The Immune System and AIDS," is being taught in a dozen countries and emphasizes intensive training of educators, incorporating games, work sheets, and cartoons. "Foundation Proposed for German HIV Scandal Victims" Reuters (12/02/93) (Christie, Michael) Bonn, Germany--German deputies proposed Thursday that a foundation be established to compensate AIDS patients who contracted the virus through contaminated blood. Under the proposal, both infected patients and their partners, if they contracted the virus through them, would be eligible for $200,000 lump sum payments. The proposal was made by a parliamentary commission of inquiry into the country's blood supply scandal. Gerhard Scheu, chairman of the inquiry, said that pharmaceutical companies, insurers and re-insurers, blood collection agencies, and Germany's 16 states have four weeks to decide whether to contribute to the foundation. "If the parties decline to pay up, then the inquiry will be obliged to extend its brief and probe more deeply into the real responsibility of the plasma producers," said Scheu. The pharmaceutical industry and its immediate insurers have indicated their willingness to contribute, but the re-insurers have refused. The German Red Cross, the nation's largest blood collector, has also declined to participate in any program that covers only those infected through tainted blood, insisting that such a plan discriminates against those who contracted the virus through sex or drug use. "Secretary Files Suit Charging AIDS Discrimination" United Press International (12/02/93) Columbus, Ohio--A 28-year-old Lancaster woman has filed a $400,000 suit against a law firm she says fired her because she is infected with the AIDS virus. Dawn Springer, a legal secretary, says that one month after being hired by the Columbus firm of Howard, Harris and Mains, she informed members of her HIV-positive status. Donald Mains Sr. "requested that, if the plaintiff experienced the symptoms of the disease to the extent that she was unable to perform her job, that she give at least 30 days notice prior to resigning," asserts the lawsuit. Springer claims she was fired the day after being hospitalized with flu-like symptoms and possible complications linked to her HIV infection. Springer's attorneys say her condition makes her legally disabled and, under Ohio law, it is unlawful to discriminate against anyone because of a handicap. "Vatican Angry at Comments Over Pope's Virus" Reuters (12/02/93) Vatican City--The Vatican criticized Italian television personality Mino Damato, who suggested that Pope John Paul may have contracted AIDS from blood transfusions after he was shot in 1981. On "The Maurizio Costanzo Show" Wednesday, Mino remarked that the Pope had developed a virus "often associated with HIV and AIDS sufferers," although he stressed that he was not saying the Pope did have HIV. Following an assassination attempt twelve years ago, the Vatican reported that Pope John Paul had contracted cytomegalovirus (CMV), an infection that affects as much as 80 percent of the population, said chief Vatican spokesperson Joaquin Navarro-Valls. "It appears to me that to present these facts now as news--while talking about another sickness that is clinically ... different--is superficial and forced," said Navarro-Valls. "It is deplorable to formulate--with regard to someone who has the right to be respected--diagnostic hypotheses based on presumptions, especially by someone who does not have the scientific credentials to do so." "AIDS Victims Call on Bonn to Help All Sufferers" Reuters (12/01/93) Bonn, Germany--AIDS activists in Germany, which has been shaken by a national blood supply scandal, warned the government not to discriminate against the majority of the AIDS-infected population. Rainer Jarchow, head of the German AIDS Foundation, launched a cry for help for all AIDS patients by criticizing government plans to aid 1,800 hemophiliacs infected with the AIDS virus through contaminated blood products. Jarchow denounced the plans because they ignore the plight of thousands of other sufferers who contracted the virus through other means of transmission. He elaborated that more than 90 percent of Germany's HIV patients got the virus through sex or by sharing needles when injecting drugs. "As much as we welcome the government's efforts to help the victims of tainted blood and corporate skullduggery, we must point out that there is a grave danger involved," explained Jarchow. "There is the danger that a small group will be given special treatment because they are seen to be 'innocent' and good, while the larger group is dismissed as 'guilty.' He urged all AIDS patients to unite. "BRF--AIDS Refusal" Associated Press (12/01/93) Los Angeles--An AIDS-infected man who was refused medical treatment has accepted an $85,000 settlement from his lawsuit against a physician. Thirty-two-year-old Salvador Fuentes, suffering from a severe cut on his left hand, called the Ventura Urgent Care Center before going there to tell staffers that he was HIV-positive and to be certain that he would receive treatment. When he arrived at the center, the physician in charge, Dr. Thelma Reich, refused to see Fuentes and sent him to the county hospital emergency room. The resulting lawsuit accused Reich of violating state and federal laws mandating fair treatment of disabled persons. The physician, who now operates a private practice, denied any wrongdoing. "Dr. Reich simply made a clinical judgment that he was medically stable and referred him to an emergency room that was equipped to treat him," said Reich's attorney, Richard Castle. Reich opted to settle for "economic reasons" on Thursday, just as the trial was to begin.