Date: Mon, 12 Dec 1994 11:04:48 +0500 From: awilson@aspensys.aspensys.com (Ann Wilson) AIDS Daily Summary December 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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Clinton Fires Surgeon General Elders, Citing Differences in Opinions, Policy" "Fanfare: Soccer" "The Lingering Pain of False HIV Diagnosis" "Across the USA: Florida" "AIDS to Kill 10,000 Indians a Day by 2000--Expert" "French Deputies Reject Compulsory AIDS Testing" "Gays Say Firing of Elders Is "Chilling"" "Jonathan Demme, Academy Award Winning Motion Picture Producer/Director, to Be Recognized by Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association" "Association Between Hepatitis E Virus and HIV Infection in omosexual Men" "HIV Notification Act Stalls in House Subcommittee" ************************************************************ "Clinton Fires Surgeon General Elders, Citing Differences in Opinions, Policy" Wall Street Journal (12/12/94) P. A16; Frisby, Michael K. Citing her for statements that differ from his own beliefs, President Clinton on Friday fired Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders. The president requested her resignation after learning that at the Dec. 1 AIDS Conference, Elders had suggested that students should be taught about masturbation. Elders has a history of controversial comments that include suggesting that certain drug use should be legalized, endorsing adoptions for homosexuals, and saying that the Medicaid system "had to be developed by a white male slave owner" because it supports "healthy uneducated people which can only be slaves." Related Stories: Washington Post (12/12) P. A20; New York Times (12/12) P. A16 "Fanfare: Soccer" Washington Post (12/12/94) P. C2 Youssef Omar, a Nigerian soccer player on contract to a professional team in Egypt, was deported after blood tests revealed he is HIV-positive. Omar expressed shock at the test result, and speculated, "Maybe it was when I was in Nigeria where I sometimes took injections for injuries I got when I was playing. Maybe the injections were infected since the same syringe is used several times." "The Lingering Pain of False HIV Diagnosis" USA Today (12/12/94) P. 1D; Levy, Doug Although HIV detection procedures are almost 100 percent accurate, human errors can occur. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in "ideal" testing circumstances, the odds of a false positive HIV antibody test are less than five in 100,000. Charles Shires may be one of those five. Last November, Shires--who has not engaged in risky sex or drug abuse--was told he was infected with HIV. He discovered the test result was wrong almost one year later--after his friends had abandoned him and he had considered suicide. Shires' attorney said he hopes that lawsuits will spur clinics, labs, and health workers to be more careful and alert the public that medical tests are not perfect. CDC AIDS-test chief Charles Schable says the best protection against human error is common sense. He recommends that "if you are a person who isn't engaging in high risk behavior and (get) a positive result, demand that a new specimen be collected and retested." "Across the USA: Florida" USA Today (12/12/94) P. 7A A 45-year-old male nurse in Florida, who is charged with raping five anesthetized female patients in a hospital recovery room, has tested negative for HIV. Almost 70 former patients--who fear they may have been abused--have been tested for HIV. "AIDS to Kill 10,000 Indians a Day by 2000--Expert" Reuters (12/11/94) I.S. Gilada, secretary general of the Bombay-based private Indian Health Association, said on Sunday that some 10,000 Indians will die each day from AIDS by the year 2000. The rate of HIV infection among Bombay housewives is the same as it was among the city's prostitutes eight years ago, said Gilada. One in 100 pregnant women attending pre-natal clinics in Bombay tests HIV-positive--the same rate of infection that existed among prostitutes in Bombay's red light district in 1986. "India will need six times as many hospital beds as it has today to manage just the AIDS cases," Gilada added. While the World Health Organization has said that only 728 cases of AIDS had been officially reported in India by last August, approximately 1.5 million of 900 million Indians are believed to be HIV-infected. "French Deputies Reject Compulsory AIDS Testing" Reuters (12/11/94) The French National Assembly on Sunday rejected a proposal to conduct systematic AIDS testing of the French population. The plan was dismissed after Health Minister Simone Veil informed deputies that AIDS testing was already required of anyone who wished to donate blood, sperm, mother's milk, or organs. There is debate over whether the benefits of compulsory testing outweigh its drawbacks. While public health officials insist that requiring widespread testing would help track and control the spread of HIV, civil libertarians argue that it would violate privacy rights and expose those found to be infected to discrimination. In France, more than 18,000 people have died from AIDS--more than in any other European country. "Gays Say Firing of Elders Is "Chilling"" Reuters (12/10/94) Gay activists defended Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who was fired by President Clinton on Friday, and said the issue could cost the president votes in the 1996 election. "This is war. Elders was a hero in the war on AIDS and Bill Clinton is a traitor," said Steve Michael, chairman of the Washington, D.C., chapter of ACT-UP. Michael called the president's record on fighting AIDS "abysmal." Noting that 3 percent of gay men become infected with HIV each year, Michael added that increased education on masturbation--the endorsement of which ultimately cost Elders her job--could help prevent additional cases of AIDS. Daniel Wolfe of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the largest AIDS service in the United States, said that, "Our fear about all of this is that it will make all other government leaders less likely to speak out frankly about the difficult truth of AIDS. The fact is that masturbation is an activity that does not put you at risk for HIV." "Jonathan Demme, Academy Award Winning Motion Picture Producer/Director, to Be Recognized by Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association" PR Newswire (12/09/94) In acknowledgment of the national and international recognition the film "Philadelphia" has brought to the city, Academy Award winning producer/director Jonathan Demme will be awarded the Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association's (GPHA) Grand Award on Dec. 19. Mayor Edward G. Rendell will present Demme with the award at the 1994 "Hospitality City, USA" Awards Luncheon. Each year, GPHA recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to the promotion of the City of Philadelphia. GPHA will also donate a portion of the luncheon's proceeds to the Jonathan Demme Fund at ActionAIDS in Philadelphia. "Following the release of the film, 'Philadelphia,' more travelers have chosen our City as a prime destination point," commented Mayor Rendell. Demme--whose achievements include films such as "Swimming to Cambodia" and "The Silence of the Lambs"--has worked with many film industry leaders to bring AIDS and other issues to the global forefront. "Association Between Hepatitis E Virus and HIV Infection in Homosexual Men" Lancet (11/19/94) Vol. 344, No. 8934, P. 1433; Montella, F.; Rezza, G.; Di Sora, F. et al Although little is known about the risk factors for hepatitis E (HEV), in industrialized countries, higher prevalence rates have been found in injection drug users (IDUs) and in travelers to endemic areas, write Montella et al in a letter to the editor appearing in the Lancet. A total of 162 homosexual men and 66 IDUs attending an outpatient facility in Rome whose sera had been collected for HIV serology were tested for HEV antibodies. The researchers found a higher prevalence of HEV among homosexual men, which indirectly confirms the role of transmission through fecal-oral activity facilitated by sexual practices. Thirty-seven percent of the HEV-positive homosexual men were also HIV-positive, while none of the HEV-positive IDUs were HIV-positive. The reasons for the relationship between HIV and HEV are not clear, but Montella et al suggest that HIV-induced immunosuppression could facilitate HEV transmission. The findings may be explained by the high frequency of sexual practices at risk for HEV infection in people with HIV risk behavior. "HIV Notification Act Stalls in House Subcommittee" AIDS Alert (11/94) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 155 The Newborn Infant HIV Notification Act has stalled in a House subcommittee, but will be reconsidered next year. The disclosure act--sponsored by a coalition of both Democratic and Republican representatives--is intended to reverse the practice of blind HIV testing. In 45 states, all infants are tested for HIV, but the results are only used for statistical purposes. Neither the mother nor the physician is informed of positive results. "By allowing mothers to leave the hospital uninformed that their baby is HIV-positive, we are condemning thousands of helpless newborn babies to an early, harsh death," said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman (D-N.Y.), who introduced the bill. Similar disclosure bills have been debated in New York state, but a compromise bill that would have required the counseling of pregnant women failed before the Legislature recessed in July. Dr. Alan Fleischman, senior vice-president of the New York Academy of Medicine in New York City and a member of the New York State Task Force on AIDS, said, "The argument between privacy rights and providing proven treatment to stop the spread of the AIDS virus must be resolved."