Date: Fri, 04 Feb 1994 09:39:40 -0500 (EST) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" Subject: CDC AIDS DAILY SUMMARY 02/04/94 AIDS Daily Summary February 04, 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 "AIDS a Big Factor in Deaths of Hemophiliacs" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/04/94) P. A3 (Gaul, Gilbert M.) A new report published in the American Journal of Hematology confirms the devastating effects of AIDS on American hemophiliacs. The study shows that the death rate among hemophiliacs suffering from the most common form of the blood disorder, hemophilia A, tripled between 1979 and 1989--primarily due to AIDS. During those 10 years, the average age of death for hemophiliacs plunged from 57 to 40 years, report researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study found that 470 people with hemophilia A--more than half of all those with the disorder who died during that time span--listed AIDS or HIV infection as the cause of death. "We have known that this devastation has been going on for years," says Alan Brownstein, president of the National Hemophilia Foundation, a New York advocacy group. "But for people who want to see the numbers, this study displays the dramatic reversal of all the progress that had been made in the lifespan of hemophiliacs in the 1970s." Today, the lifespan of hemophiliacs resembles that of two decades ago, when modern treatments were not available. According to the foundation, more than 80 percent of the 17,000 Americans who have hemophilia A are believed to have been infected with AIDS in the mid-1980s through the use of tainted blood-clotting medicine known as Factor VIII. "The Bushes' Benefit Backstep" Washington Post (02/04/94) P. C3 Following protests from some Houston activists, George and Barbara Bush have resigned from the honorary host committee of an AIDS fundraiser there. The protesters initiated a letter-writing campaign opposing the role of the former president in the event. They argued that the Bushes should not be included because of what they criticize as George Bush's lack of support for AIDS during his time in office. "They have withdrawn," confirmed Bush's chief of staff, Rose Zamaria. "It was more out of courtesy so that they would not harm the fund-raising effort." The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR), the event's sponsor, had hoped that the former president's participation in the March 19 fundraiser would broaden support for the cause. "I wasn't pleased with the performance of the Bush administration [on AIDS]," admitted Mervyn Silverman, AmFAR's president, "but it's important to bring people into the fold who we might not ordinarily attract." "$15,000 Grant Providing Home Help for HIV Victims" Philadelphia Inquirer (02/04/94) P. B2 Philadelphia Community Health Alternatives is the recipient of a $15,000 grant to be used for the purpose of providing home worker services to HIV patients. Francis J. Stoffa Jr., executive director of the agency, said that the grant will pay for one home worker over the next six months. "One home worker is like one little pinkie in the dike," Stoffa said. Still, according to Stoffa, that one worker would be able to help 10 patients each week with meal preparation and housework, among other tasks. This assistance saves money and makes it possible for patients to stay at home rather than be hospitalized. The home worker will help serve the organization's 230 clients. "WHO and Medical Companies to Fight AIDS Together" Reuters (02/03/94) Geneva--The World Health Organization and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA) have agreed to collaborate in the global battle against AIDS. In the agreement, the Geneva-based WHO pledged to commit itself to playing a coordinating role for international research into HIV and AIDS. IFPMA vowed "to work as rapidly as possible towards the discovery and development of new, safe, and effective drugs and vaccines against HIV/AIDS." Members of IFPMA said that once the safety or efficiency of a drug has been documented, they will focus early on its worldwide registration and marketing. A goal of the combined effort is to promote the development of safe and effective products against HIV/AIDS that would be available at affordable prices even in developing countries, which are often the most ravaged by disease. "Catholic Charities Applauds Increase in AIDS Housing Funds" Business Wire (02/03/94) San Francisco--Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, the city's largest provider of housing for HIV patients, is doling out praise for the funding increase in the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS (HOPWA) program from $6.6 million to $11.6 million. "This program has allowed San Francisco to increase housing and services to the people most at risk of homelessness in the epidemic," explains Bob Nelson, manager of Basic Services and Employment Services for Charities. HOPWA is very flexible in that the program can be used for housing development, rental subsidies, and adjacent services. Catholic Charities, a non-profit social services arm of the Archdiocese of San Francisco, operates a 32-bed residence for HIV-infected individuals, a 64-bed home for HIV-infected individuals, and a residence for families in which a member is infected with HIV. "Health Officials Fear Man Losing His Advantage Over Microbe" Reuters (02/03/94) (Johnson, Cynthia) London--With the rise of fresh epidemics such as AIDS and the re-emergence of diseases thought to be eradicated, humans are being forced to re-think the notion that modern medicine has given them an advantage over microbes. Health authorities have observed resurgence of old enemies such as typhoid, diphtheria, malaria, and cholera. Foremost among the re-surfacing diseases is "the forgotten epidemic," tuberculosis. Once believed to be under control, it is now rapidly spreading due to an increase in drug-resistant strains, shifts in research priorities, and its association with AIDS--a quickly growing epidemic. AIDS continues to ravage areas around the globe. According to the World Health Organization, the number of infected persons has now surpassed 15 million; about two-thirds of them live in Africa. Some have documented the fall of Jean-Claude Duvalier in Haiti as the first revolution to be caused by AIDS. Fear of the disease resulted in a drop in tourism and subsequent economic straits. Given such experience, one wonders if the world is better prepared to battle new epidemics or struggle with old ones. Some health officials contend that the price of health equals eternal vigilance. "Industrialized countries cannot wait for new viruses to reach their own shores," warns Joseph McCormick of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Look at the AIDS situation. If we had spotted that disease when the cases first appeared, imagine how different the situation could be today." "ACLU Fighting Conviction of Spitting Prisoner" AIDS Alert (01/94) Vol. 9, No. 1, P. 15 The American Civil Liberties Union of Texas and the ACLU's national AIDS Project are appealing a federal court decision in a bid to overturn the conviction of an HIV-positive inmate who was found guilty of attempted murder for spitting on a prison guard. "The conviction of Curtis Weeks represents one of the darkest hours in America's battle with AIDS," says Ruth Harlow, associate director of the ACLU's AIDS Project in New York City. "In an atmosphere of hysteria and panic, Weeks was locked up for the rest of his life even though HIV has never been transmitted by spitting." The ACLU contends that Weeks was not provided a fair trial. Expert witnesses erroneously exaggerated the risk of HIV transmission through all vehicles--including saliva--and the prosecution failed to prove that the spit of an infected person "tends" to cause death, the ACLU claims. "American Will Train Workers on AIDS Steps" Washington Blade (01/28/94) Vol. 25, No. 4, P. 15 (Campbell, Kristina) Following a November incident in which a man with AIDS complained that he was forcibly removed from an American Airlines flight because of his infection, the airline has agreed to a settlement--part of which calls for sensitivity training for employees. Provisions of the settlement include training for flight attendants and gate agents concerning treatment of people with disabilities, including AIDS, according to Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund. Lambda represented Timothy Holless, who was dragged from an American flight at Chicago's O'Hare Airport. Patricia Logue of Lambda's Chicago office issued a statement saying that American had agreed to collaborate with the National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA) and the Coalition on AIDS to develop training curricula. A spokesperson for American Airlines said that the training will involve some 25,000 employees. "We try to ensure that all of our passengers have a safe and comfortable flight on American Airlines, regardless of their physical condition," said George Mueller, vice president for customer service. "We thank Mr. Holless in helping us do a better job in that regard." Holless was admitted to the hospital shortly after the incident and died on Jan. 1. "AIDS: The Third Wave" Lancet (01/22/94) Vol. 343, No. 8891, P. 186 The AIDS pandemic is a string of separate epidemics that overlap in both time and place, according to the Lancet journal. There are pattern I regions--America, Canada, western Europe, Australia, north Africa, and parts of South America--where HIV has primarily been spread among injecting drug users and the gay and bisexual communities. The remainder of South America and Africa make up the pattern II regions, where most people have contracted the virus through heterosexual activity. HIV has been most devastating in pattern II regions, but even those areas may be overshadowed by HIV in pattern III zones, which include Asia-Pacific, eastern Europe, and the Middle East. According to Michael Merson, director of the World Health Organization's Global Program on AIDS, "Asia's epidemic may ultimately dwarf all others in scope and impact." Control of each wave of the AIDS pandemic will be accomplished only when it is understood how regional epidemics have arisen, declares the Lancet. The editors contend that there must be an understanding of the factors involved in person-to-person transmission as well and patterns of social mixing in order to establish effective prevention programs. The most effective interventions, according to the journal, are likely to come through the work of non-governmental organizations. Industrialized countries, it says, do not fully recognize the threat of HIV to pattern III nations. The epidemic could be curbed, however, if money was redistributed away from wealthy nations and into locally active non-governmental organizations. "Who is Luke Sissyfag?" Advocate (01/25/94) No. 646/647, P. 45 (Bull, Chris) While 1993 will be remembered for its large-scale, well-publicized AIDS demonstrations and worldwide protests, some activists say the most widely covered protest this year was the action of one 19-year-old man who dared interrupt the president during a speech on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. "Talk is cheap, and we need action," shouted Luke Sissyfag mid-speech. "Bill, while me and my community are dying in ever-increasing numbers, all you do is talk." Bill Dobbs, a member of ACT-UP in New York City, called Sissyfag's impassioned protest "a great moment in the history of modern-day AIDS heckling," adding that Sissyfag "forced a lot of people to wake up from the fog of complacency that is surrounding AIDS." The activist, who changed his last name from Montgomery to Sissyfag in 1992 to "take away the power of the insults I had heard," says he staged his protest to draw attention to what he perceives as the administration's sluggish response to AIDS. He also wanted to remind AIDS lobbying groups that they are responsible for failing to hold Clinton to his campaign promises on AIDS. Sissyfag says he hopes his one-man demonstration will trigger a resurgence of AIDS activism across the country. Political observers say that the fact that the most visible AIDS protest of 1993 was staged by a single person indicates the shifting politics of AIDS and the state of AIDS activism. "There's no question that the whole AIDS movement has undergone a transformation with the advent of a Democratic administration," notes Christopher H. Foreman Jr., a research associate at Brookings Institution, a Washington-based policy and analysis group. "Opposition is much more difficult to muster because the administration can no longer be defined as the enemy."