Date: Tue, 10 May 1994 09:24:56 -0400 (EDT) >From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary May 10, 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 "Jury Deadlocks in Delta HIV Discrimination Suit" Reuters (05/10/94) Although a jury was unable to agree Monday on whether Delta Airlines discriminated against a former employee because of his HIV infection, it still awarded the plaintiff $275,000 for invasion of privacy and wrongful discharge on another issue. Joseph Sullivan, 39, said that in October 1991, the airline unfairly terminated his employment as a reservation sales agent at the San Francisco airport. Sullivan had disclosed his infection to a supervisor one year earlier. Delta said it dismissed Sullivan because he was undependable, was absent too frequently, and failed to attend two follow-up programs for alcohol rehabilitation in 1990 and 1991. The jury deadlocked on whether Delta's actions amounted to employee discrimination, and Superior Court Judge Tom Stevens declared a mistrial on that cause of action. The jury did agree that the airline invaded Sullivan's privacy when it listed his name on a roster of HIV-positive employees, which it argued was for medical purposes only. For this, and for violation of a state law requiring employers to accommodate workers who attend substance rehabilitation programs, Sullivan was awarded $275,000 in general damages. The jury, however, rejected Sullivan's claim that his HIV infection subjected him to discrimination, harassment, or retaliation at work. "Delco Official Assails AIDS Patients" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/10/94) P. B5; Frischling, Bill Saying that the "self-inflicted wounds [of AIDS patients] are starting to cost the society dearly," Delaware County Councilman Wallace H. Nunn effectively stalled the council in applying for more than $100,000 in state and federal funding for AIDS education and support. Nunn objected to the money and said he would vote against it, even though no county money would be spent. "My priorities are with children, the elderly and people who are otherwise true victims," Nunn said. "I put at the bottom of the list people who could have avoided it, [like] drug addicts and AIDS patients." He said he might be more receptive to AIDS funding if it were earmarked for those born with HIV infection or who contracted the virus through blood transfusions. The money consists of $20,278 from the state's Human Services Development Fund and $83,625 from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development's Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) program. It would provide additional rental and mortgage assistance, counseling, and early-intervention programs for people with AIDS. Nunn, who said the money could be better spent in support of children or the elderly, was the only council member to vote against the AIDS funding. "Addressing the Ethics of AIDS Vaccine Tests" USA Today (05/10/94) P. 8D; Manning, Anita AIDS researchers, community activists, and government representatives attending a two-day conference in Washington, D.C., are struggling to address the social, ethical, and political implications of testing a potential AIDS vaccine on thousands of healthy volunteers. Although one or two candidate vaccines could be ready for large-scale testing in as early as one year, Dr. Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), says steps for Phase III testing cannot be taken until a large-scale trial has been designed that is safe, efficient, fair, and ethical. Phase III trials would enroll "approximately 10,000 HIV-negative volunteers from high-risk communities," according to Derek Hodel of AIDS Action Foundation, which is sponsoring the conference. Some participants would receive the vaccine, while others would get only a placebo. After two or three years, investigators would count the number of new HIV cases and determine the efficacy of the vaccine. Hodel says this method would create problems in that volunteers would receive counseling on how to reduce the risk of HIV, which could make it more difficult to gauge the effectiveness of the vaccine. Another concern is that volunteers could mistakenly believe that their participation in the trial means that they are protected from HIV infection. Finally, volunteers could test false-positive for the virus, making them subject to discrimination. "Disease Strikes at the Heart of Business" Financial Times: Kenya Survey (05/10/94) P. 8; Jack, Andrew AIDS is quickly emerging as one of the most dangerous threats to economic growth and social stability in Kenya. A recent report by the National AIDS Control Programme of Kenya estimates that one in every 18 adults over age 15 is HIV-positive and that more than 130,000 Kenyans have developed AIDS. By 2005, the report projects, there could be as many as 1.9 million infected Kenyans, and the cumulative number of AIDS deaths would increase from 100,000 today to more than 2 million. Just as alarming is the increasing number of children who are becoming infected through their mothers, during pregnancy or breast-feeding. Those children lucky enough to escape infection will still be affected by the epidemic, for many will become "AIDS orphans" who are left without parents by age 15. Official estimates indicate that there will be nearly 1 million AIDS orphans by 2005. This will strain extended families, boost demand for support services, and set off unstable social structures. In a more general sense, companies may be threatened with survival and agricultural systems disrupted by AIDS, since the killer disease disproportionately affects the most economically productive segment of the population--adults aged 20 to 45. "Swiss Ex-Official Charged Over AIDS Blood" Reuters (05/09/94) A former official of the Swiss Red Cross has been charged for his role in distributing HIV-contaminated blood in the mid-1980s. Geneva justice officials announced that 73-year-old Alfred Haessig, retired chief of the organization's central laboratory, is accused of inflicting grievous bodily harm for permitting use of blood thought to be tainted. Haessig, who retired in 1986, has denied the charges. The accusations emerged after the publication of a government report in February that charges the Swiss Red Cross with unethical and illegal behavior for failing to recall blood products suspected of being HIV-infected in 1986. The report alleged that the laboratory continued to deliver blood products to hospitals and clinics until late 1986 even though there was adequate evidence by August 1985 that some of the products were contaminated. "Egypt Says 178 Die From AIDS" Reuters (05/09/94) As of the end of April, 178 Egyptians have died from AIDS, according to Deputy Minister of Health Mohammed Aboul Nasr. He said 167 Egyptians were infected, and that Egypt had deported 227 infected foreigners, although he did not confirm whether either group had HIV infection or full-blown AIDS. The Egyptian government has mounted a health awareness campaign to educate its largely illiterate population about the dangers of AIDS. "Two-Year HIV-1-Associated Mortality in a Ugandan Rural Population" Lancet (04/23/94) Vol. 343, No. 8904, P. 1021; Mulder, Daan W.; Nunn, Andrew J.; Kamali, Anatoli et al. Mulder et al. studied mortality in relation to HIV infection in 15 rural South-West Ugandan villages. HIV-1 serology results were attained for 9389 individuals, and deaths were ascertained over the next two years. Mulder et al. calculated that mortality among seronegative adults was 7.7 per 1000, but skyrocketed to 115.9 per 1000 among seropositive adults. Excess mortality rates, which are derived by subtracting the mortality rate of the HIV-negative population from that of the total population, were also calculated. The excess annual death rate associated with HIV infection was 5.3 per 1000 for all ages and, among adults, 7.9 per 1000. The highest excess mortality was 16.9 per 1000 in the 25-34 year-old category. Among adults, 50 percent of all deaths and 80 percent of all deaths among individuals aged 13 to 44 were attributable to HIV infection. Mulder et al. conclude that the study demonstrates the strong influence of HIV infection on mortality rates in a rural area of Uganda, where the overall HIV prevalence rate is below 10 percent--a rate lower than those found in many other parts of East Africa. "Positive Images Focuses on HIV/AIDS Positive Outlook" REHAB Management (04/94-05/94) Vol. 7, No. 3, P. 18 Positive Images and Wellness, Inc., of Silver Spring, Md., has scheduled its first international conference on HIV/AIDS rehabilitation and education for Sept. 22-25 in the Washington, D.C., area. "A Celebration of Survivorship" will focus on treating HIV/AIDS as a chronic illness, and working toward healthy life management. Therapeutic touch training, pain management, exercise research, and neuromuscular and cognitive problems are among the topics to be discussed at the conference. Other issues include clinical programs, educating teenagers, innovations in rehabilitation, and coping with everyday tasks and problems. Health professionals, as well as the general public, are invited to attend the conference, which is co-sponsored by the National Center for Wellness and Health Promotion.