AIDS Daily Summary April 12, 1994 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 "Head of AIDS Task Force Quits Amid Criminal Probe" Philadelphia Inquirer (04/12/94) P. A1; Collins, Huntly Francis J. Stoffa Jr., executive director of the AIDS Task Force of Philadelphia, has resigned in the midst of a criminal probe into the agency's fiscal management. The city's Health Department said it will terminate the task force's government contracts, which amount to about $490,000 a year, in 30 days. The Health Department will, however, pay the agency's full-time employees so that they may remain on the job for at least the next month. The department will continue to work with the task force under new leadership, or ensure that other AIDS organizations pick up its services. "We are foremost concerned that there be no breach in service to clients," said Richard Scott, director of the city's AIDS Activities Coordinating Office. The AIDS Task Force of Philadelphia, the city's oldest AIDS service organization, provides HIV testing, counseling, education, and social services. The agency has been plagued, however, by more than $200,000 in debts, failure to complete required audits, and other financial straits. "AIDS Scientists Suffer Setback" Washington Times (04/12/94) P. A3; McKie, Robin American and European scientists have concluded that preliminary AIDS vaccines are powerless in stimulating HIV antibodies, and hopes for creating an effective vaccine before the end of the century have crumbled. In the laboratory, candidate AIDS vaccines appeared successful in raising neutralizing antibodies that bound to HIV particles and inhibited their growth. The vaccines failed, however, to neutralize the virus when researchers used "wild" strains of HIV found in the blood of AIDS patients. Scientists had developed products that were effective against laboratory strains of HIV, but were useless in blocking strains patients encounter in reality. The setback was first reported by researchers at U.S. biotechnology firm Chiron Corp., and was soon confirmed by other scientists. "We seemed to be doing so well in developing vaccines, but this has rocked us," said Marc Girard, head of France's AIDS vaccine research program. "It has put us back years." James Neil, an AIDS vaccine researcher at Glasgow University, said part of the problem has "something to do with the preparation of specimens in the laboratory. We have got to find out what is the problem and put it right before we think about taking human trials further." "AIDS Activists Object to Inclusion of Clinton" Washington Times (04/12/94) P. C3; Lacharite, Gretchen In protest of the Whitman-Walker Clinic's selection of President Clinton as honorary co-chairman of an AIDS fundraiser, four activists demonstrated outside of the clinic with placards bearing such messages as "Dump Clinton," and "Clinton lies, we die." The purpose of an honorary chairmanship is to create a "significant presence" and to help attract attention to the event, explained Donald Hense, the clinic's director of development. Hense said that appointing the president as honorary co-chair of the eighth annual AIDS walk, scheduled for September, would draw more attention to the AIDS crisis. Last year, an estimated 30,000 people participated in the event, which raised $1.3 million for 45 AIDS organizations. But activist Luke Sissyfag argued that Clinton is not fulfilling promises on AIDS. "He's said all the right things," Sissyfag conceded, "but it's a lot of talk and no action." Another protester, Bryan Barr, said that Whitman-Walker "should get out of politics and get into service." "AIDS Confinement" Associated Press (04/12/94) A Georgia judge has ordered an AIDS patient to remain indefinitely confined to his home because his drug-resistant form of tuberculosis may be contagious. Superior Court Judge Dan Coursey declined to overturn a petition from the DeKalb County Board of Health that imposes "respiratory isolation" at home for John Kappers, who had intended to travel to the Netherlands today to visit family. According to the health board's acting director, Dr. Lawrence Sanders, Kappers repeatedly tested negative on the standard test to determine whether TB is contagious. However, Sanders also said that the test does not truly apply to Kappers because his form of the disease is resistant to several drugs. Kappers, who has had a dozen negative tests since January, said he is being discriminated against because he is gay. "AIDS Epidemic Shifting to Asia, Says ADB" Reuters (04/12/94) Asia is overtaking Africa as the geographic area most affected by AIDS, the Asian Developmental Bank (ADB) reported in its annual outlook. The Manila-based bank predicted that the epidemic would have a greater impact on women than men because higher risks of infection caused by frequent births and the low status of women increased their vulnerability to infection. "The core of the problem lies in whether men will allow the use of preventive measures, whether women can decide when to have sex, and whether it is culturally acceptable for women to purchase contraceptives," the bank said. "These conditions are particularly relevant to many countries in South Asia where the average age of marriage is low and fertility rates are still high." Legal and administrative measures, as well as cultural practices which restrict women's access to education, land, credit, and employment must be erased so that women can take more effective steps to protect themselves, said the ADB. India and Thailand lead the region with more than 400,000 HIV-positive people. Health officials fear that each country could have more than 1 million cases by the end of the century. "What Is Being Done About AIDS" New York Times (04/12/94) P. C24; Goodman, Walter At 9:00 p.m. tonight, PBS will broadcast "AIDS Research: The Story So Far," a look at the pressure on scientists around the globe to develop an effective vaccine to combat HIV, a virus that is "not like anything we've seen before." The hour-long, straight-talking report explains what makes HIV so different. Using graphics, it demonstrates how the virus is able to outsmart drugs like AZT. The program also explores the possibilities of a new class of anti-AIDS drugs known as protease inhibitors, which, if effective, could prolong the life of AIDS patients for decades. After depicting the disappointment felt by scientists after 13 years and $10 billion worth of research, the report ends with an account of a new line of research that invokes ethical as well as medical issues. The program's narrator concludes that "Young people growing up in the age of AIDS cannot count on scientists finding a cure in their lifetimes." The best advice, therefore, is not to have sex or share blood with an infected partner. "Teens' Sexual Activity Continues to Increase" Washington Post (Health) (04/12/94) P. 18 Adolescents from different cultures around the globe are becoming sexually active before reaching age 20, reports a new study by Population Action International. The nonprofit family planning advocacy group finds that the world's 700 million teenagers are struggling with increasingly complex questions about sex, but are not receiving the help they need to get answers. The "Youth at Risk" report identified developments such as the AIDS epidemic, changes in abortion laws, and a trend in delaying marriage as elements that are currently influencing teen sexuality. "Art on the Cutting Edge" Newsweek (04/11/94) Vol. 123, No. 15, P. 79 Ron Athey, an HIV-positive performance artist, pierces himself with needles. Another part of his performance involves carving designs into the flesh of his assistant, and then hanging paper towels soaked with the man's blood above the audience. Athey's performance last month, sponsored by Minneapolis's Walker Art Center, caused one woman to faint. Another member of the audience, Jim Berenson, complained, "I was surprised they could perform this and put people in danger." Berenson, who reported the incident to health authorities, said he is considering litigation. The health department responded that the Walker, which used about $100 in funding from the National Endowment for the Arts for the show, took proper precautions. Athey says his piece combines Hindu and African rituals with the issue of AIDS. "Genetically Transformed Cells Resist Infection by HIV" Chemical & Engineering News (04/04/94) Vol. 72, No. 14, P. 24 In hopes of developing gene therapy against AIDS, a team of French researchers genetically transformed three human cell populations to produce interferon. According to Viellard et al. of the Institut Curie in Paris, interferon production in the transformed cells caused them to resist HIV infection at an early stage of viral entry--either by preventing HIV from attaching to the CD4 receptor, or by hindering penetration of the virus into cells. Introducing interferon sequence into the genetic material of three human cell lines creates "stable antiviral expression without impeding cell survival and replication," the researchers concluded. "Agenda" Advocate (04/05/94) No. 652, P. 22 Of 50 19- and 20-year-olds in Connecticut, 92 percent reported that they knew how to use condoms to avoid HIV infection, according to a Southern Connecticut State University survey. However, the poll found, 33 percent said they would never use condoms, regardless.