Date: Tue, 01 Feb 1994 11:41:51 -0500 (EST) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" Subject: CDC AIDS DAILY SUMMARY 02/01/94 AIDS Daily Summary February 01, 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 "New Test Forecasts Progress of AIDS" New York Times (02/01/94) P. C7 (Altman, Lawrence K.) A blood test that measures HIV replication in certain cells has predicted progression from viral infection to AIDS earlier than standard techniques, which measure CD-4 cells, report researchers in New York. The pilot study, conducted by Dr. David Baltimore of Rockefeller University in conjunction with the New York Blood Center, tested cells that were taken from HIV patients over several years, then frozen. The test results reflected "dramatic differences" in the amount of replication of HIV found among infected individuals with similar clinical and laboratory indexes, said the researchers. The "variation correlated with the future course of the disease" in 18 patients followed for seven years. For now, the test is being used only for research purposes. In the future, however, it could prove useful in determining the most effective time to prescribe anti-HIV medication, say AIDS experts. In addition, the test could help scientists accelerate clinical trials to identify new anti-HIV drugs. It also could eventually help unlock the mystery surrounding the unexplained long-term survival of some HIV patients. Baltimore and colleagues are currently conducting a larger study. "Court Backs Privacy Right Over H.I.V." New York Times (02/01/94) P. B3 (Tabor, Mary B.W.) A federal appeals court in Manhattan ruled yesterday that a worker infected with the virus that causes AIDS did not forfeit his right to privacy when he filed a job-discrimination suit with the New York City Human Rights Commission. The unidentified plaintiff was an employee of Pan Am when that company went out of business in 1991. He filed a grievance with the city when Delta Airlines, which acquired a number of Pan Am's routes, refused to hire him, he alleged, because he was homosexual and infected with HIV. The city agency worked out a settlement between the man and the company, but the plaintiff contends that the city then violated his privacy by issuing a press release on the settlement. The three-judge court of appeals said, "Individuals who are infected with the HIV virus clearly possess a constitutional right to privacy regarding their condition." Related Story: Wall Street Journal (02/01) P. B3 "Lawsuit Claims "Philadelphia" Stole Story of AIDS Fatality" United Press International (02/01/94) New York--The real-life story of a New York attorney who sued his law firm when it fired him because he had AIDS was used, without compensation, to provide the basis of the blockbuster film "Philadelphia," the lawyer's estate will allege in a lawsuit that will be filed today and will name TriStar Pictures and the movie's producers. Counsel for the estate of Geoffrey Bowers, Balsam & Felber, said that an agreement had been made, but not honored, in which acknowledgment and compensation was to be given for the appropriation of Bowers' story. In 1986, Bowers charged that Baker & McKenzie, the world's largest law firm, fired him because he had AIDS. Last month, the firm was ordered to pay more than $500,000 in damages to the estate of Bowers, who died before the decision was reached. In this new lawsuit, his family members will discuss contact they had with studio executives, as well as "key scenes and dialogue from the Bowers case appearing in 'Philadelphia,'" said a news release from Balsam & Felber. The film, starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, has topped the box office and won widespread critical acclaim. "California Senate Passes Bill for Needle Exchange" Reuters (02/01/94) Sacramento, Calif.--In an effort to stem the spread of AIDS, the California Senate yesterday approved legislation to allow San Francisco and other cities to implement pilot needle exchange programs for intravenous drug users. The bill, which passed with a bare majority and was pushed along to the state Assembly, would authorize a pilot needle exchange program in San Francisco, which already operates such a program without the state's permission. Other cities could also establish needle exchanges at the request of elected officials and the local health officer. Shared use of dirty syringes by drug users is known to be a high-risk method of transmitted AIDS, and advocates insist that trading clean needles for used ones will help curb the spread of the disease. Critics such as California Governor Pete Wilson--who has twice vetoed similar legislation--contend that state support for needle exchanges undermines anti-drug efforts and sends a mixed message. He claims there is no clear proof that such programs actually reduce the spread of AIDS. "Group Protests, Wants Condoms Given Out to Prisoners" United Press International (01/31/94) Chicago--About 20 members of the national AIDS advocacy group ACT-UP protested Monday in front of the Illinois state government building, demanding that prisons supply inmates with condoms, latex gloves, and other protective measures to guard them against HIV. "The reality is prisoners are having sex, shooting drugs and sharing needles," said Debbie Gould, member of the Chicago chapter of ACT-UP. "All that puts them at risk for AIDS." Corrections spokesperson Nic Howell, however, denied that there was a problem with AIDS in prisons. The current 4 percent of infected prisoners contracted HIV before entering prison, he said. "No one has been able to document that they have contracted AIDS in prison," he said. Howell added that condoms and the other ACT-UP demands are out of the question because taxpayers would never consent to footing the bill for prisoners. "About 2.5 Million Asian Workers Infected With AIDS" United Press International (01/31/94) Jakarta--Approximately 1 million workers in India and some 500,000 workers in Thailand are infected with the virus that causes AIDS, and the numbers are expected to climb unless prevention measures are initiated, warns George Loth, an epidemiologist with the World Health Organization's Global Program on AIDS. If HIV is not stemmed, the Thai government projects a potential loss of $9 billion to its economy by the year 2000. WHO predicted that by that year, the number of HIV-infected people in Asia would soar to more than 10 million. The spread of AIDS in Asia is the topic of a series of conferences sponsored by Aetna International Inc., an American insurance and financial services company. "Business responds to AIDS" will focus on AIDS in the workplace and the social and economic impact of the epidemic in each country. "U.S. Blood Supply at Lowest Level Since WW II" Reuters (01/31/94) New York--Severe weather, flu outbreaks, and the irrational fear among potential donors of contracting AIDS may be contributing to the nation's dangerously low blood supply, which has not been in such dire condition since World War II. According to the New York Times, blood bank officials said that the situation is so bad that, if more people were hurt in the recent Los Angeles earthquake, there may not have been enough blood to treat them. The paper said that at the time of the earthquake, the supply was down to less than a day, from the preferred five to seven days. A national emergency appeal by the American Red Cross for blood donations eased the situation slightly, said the Times. The supply now has a two-day margin, but the threat of further shortages still hovers. The demand for blood has increased in recent years, while the donor pool has been shrinking, said the New York Times. "U.N. Action Plan Calls for Worldwide Birth Control" United Press International (01/31/94) Tokyo--The International Conference on Population and Development, a United Nations affiliate, has drafted an action plan that calls for worldwide birth control by the year 2015. While the plan stresses that governments must guarantee that the use of family planning is voluntary, the draft predicts that if the program is fully implemented, contraceptive use could skyrocket to 69 percent in the Third World over the next 20 years. Pointing to the risks of sexually transmitted diseases, including AIDS, the program encourages that condom distribution programs "become integral components of all reproductive health-care services." "HIV Glycoprotein Is Neurotoxic in Intact Mouse Brain" Chemical & Engineering News (01/17/94) Vol. 72, No. 3, P. 17 Scientists have been aware for some time that between one third and one half of all HIV-infected individuals develop neurological disorders, including dementia. They have been baffled, however, by the fact that these problems occur in the absence of neural HIV infection. The HIV envelope glycoprotein, known as gp120, causes a variety of effects on the neurons and neural support cells of mice that resemble abnormalities found in the brains of HIV-positive humans. A number of studies indicated that gp120, which is discarded by infected cells, may induce neurotoxicity. Now, Lennart Mucke of Scripps Research Institute and his collaborators have presented a study of transgenic mice in which gp120 is produced by brain cells called astrocytes. Examination of the brains showed a number of abnormalities that parallel those seen in the brains of humans infected with HIV. Besides supporting the theory that gp120 is neurotoxic, the "transgenic model will be valuable for assessing pharmacological approaches targeted at HIV-induced neurotoxicity," said Mucke. "'Into Whatever Houses I Enter'" Journal of the American Medical Association (01/12/94) Vol. 271, No. 2, P. 152 (Wartenberg, Alan A.) Since the onset of the HIV epidemic in America, intravenous drug users have been a targeted population. However, says Dr. Alan A. Wartenberg of the Addiction Recovery Program at Faulkner Hospital in Boston, there is evidence showing that positive lifestyle changes and improved medical outcomes can occur in injecting drug addicts. For example, he cites two recent American studies which, along with European studies, indicate the benefits of needle-exchange programs. One study associated needle exchanges with lowered frequency of injection, and did so without a corresponding increase in drug use. Wartenberg stresses that such programs can serve as focal points for information on risk reduction, condom distribution, and referral into treatment for drug addiction. And, he says, stabilization and rehabilitation can improve social function and reduce HIV acquisition and transmission. Wartenberg notes an editorial in which the author concludes that "physicians should not be obliged to treat heroin addicts." But, counters Wartenberg, the challenge of the double dilemma of HIV and drug abuse requires that health care professionals focus on treatment of addiction per se. From the Oath of Hippocrates, he quotes "into whatever houses I shall enter, I will go into them for the benefit of the sick." But Wartenberg observes that very rarely is this the case with drug addicts, but that health care professionals can learn to treat intravenous users.