Date: Thu, 19 May 1994 09:03:13 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary May 19, 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 "Across the USA: News From Every State" USA Today (05/19/94) P. 6A Delaware reported its 1,000th AIDS case on April 29, according to officials. Of that tally, 564 people died from the disease. The state's rate of 53.7 cases of AIDS per 100,000 residents compares with the national rate of 39.2 per 100,000. Delaware ranks seventh in the nation in AIDS cases. In California, AIDS has replaced heart disease as the leading cause of death among men in San Francisco. Figures from 1991 indicate that AIDS killed 1,195 men that year. Meanwhile, in King County, Washington, a city-county report shows that nearly 80 percent of AIDS cases involve men who have sex with other men, compared to 54 percent nationally. "Britain Helps Zimbabwe Fight AIDS" Reuters (05/18/94) Britain pledged $13.5 million on Wednesday to Zimbabwe to help the country combat AIDS. The aid was announced after visiting President Robert Mugabe held talks with British Prime Minister John Major. The hope is that the establishment of cost-effective treatment and prevention policies for sexually transmitted diseases will lower the incidence of AIDS in Zimbabwe, where an estimated 1 million people are infected with HIV. "French Blood Donations Up as AIDS Scandal Clears" Reuters (05/18/94) As the contaminated-blood scandal in France subsides, blood donation levels are returning to normal, say officials. Donations declined during the crisis, in which more than 1,000 hemophiliacs contracted AIDS through blood transfusions, and two former government health officials were jailed. "With the trial [of the two officials], there was a decline in donations in 1991 and 1992 but the worst of the crisis has passed," said to Jean Marimbert, president of France's new blood agency. Last year, more than 3.5 million donations were made, compared to more than 4 million a year during the 1980s, he said. France, which has the highest number of AIDS cases in Europe, was rocked by the scandal. An overhaul of the government's systems for guaranteeing the safety of blood transfusions and the manufacture of therapeutic blood products was approved in January 1993. Also, a central reform ended the use of proceeds from the manufacture of therapeutic blood products to finance the collection of blood donations. It was shown that commercial reasons led the blood agency to use contaminated blood stocks instead of imported, disinfected blood products. "The financing of transfusions should never depend on industrial success," said Philippe Bas, an official in the Ministry of Social Affairs. "Top School Officials Decline to Speak at Condom Hearing" Boston Globe (05/18/94) P. 33; Walker, Adrian School officials in Boston ignored an invitation from the Boston City Council to testify at a hearing Tuesday on condom availability. Both School Committee Chairman Felix Arroyo and Superintendent Lois Harrison-Jones failed to appear at the hearing, which involved a plan to make condoms accessible in a dozen high schools this fall. Arroyo said the council was trying to dictate educational policy. Former Mayor Raymond L. Flynn blocked condom availability in schools, but Mayor Menino supports the programs as long as they are administered by health professionals. "People with AIDS Rally at California for More State Funding" Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (05/17/94); Hubert, Cynthia Hundreds on AIDS patients converged in Sacramento, Calif., on Monday to lobby legislators for an additional $5 million in funding for AIDS education and testing programs. While the numbers of HIV and AIDS cases in California have increased each year, records show that overall state funding for patient services has remained relatively stable. For the past three years, the state has spent about $15 million a year on AIDS education and prevention programs, plus $6 to $8 million on testing sites. California expects to spend about $76 million in general funds in the next fiscal year, but AIDS patients and advocates from throughout the state want that figure boosted by $5 million. "AIDS Testing Bill Criticized" United Press International (05/17/94); Murnane, Tom A bill under consideration by the New York State Assembly seeking to change "blind" HIV testing of newborns could deter poor pregnant women from taking the test, argues Dr. Lorraine Hale, a prenatal care advocate. In 1987, New York became the 44th state to conduct anonymous HIV testing of all babies. By the end of 1992, the test had been conducted on 1,446,680 infants, and 9,259 tested positive for the virus. The results, however, were not disclosed to the mother unless she specifically requested to know. Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, sponsor of the bill, says she is shocked that the state doesn't do anything with the data it collects. "It's unconscionable to let someone go home without letting them know that their baby has a deadly disease," she declares. Opponents of Mayersohn's bill, including Hale, claim that eliminating the anonymous nature of the test is more or less a form of mandatory testing for the mothers, since a positive result in the baby indicates infection in the mother. "Many poor pregnant women will stay away from getting the health care they need for their babies because of something they don't understand and are scared of," Hale reasons. Mayersohn calls this perspective "pure speculation." "My bill says mothers must have this information so they and their doctors can make informed decisions about the care of their babies," she says. "Women: Sexual Liars Should Pay" United Press International (05/16/94) More than 1,000 young women responding to a national survey said men can talk them into having sex with sweet lies, but 80 percent believe males should pay dearly when these lies include disinformation about AIDS and sexually transmitted diseases. In the poll, conducted by Glamour magazine, 28 percent of the women report that their partners falsely claimed to be free of disease. Asked whether people should be able to sue for physical damages when a lover's untruths affect their physical health--through AIDS, pregnancy, or other complications--84 percent said yes. But when asked if they would actually have filed a lawsuit against men who lied to them, 67 percent said no. "Who needs a lawsuit?" asks one respondent. "Personal revenge can be much sweeter." "Medizone International to Commence Phase I Clinical Trials May 30, 1994 to Study the Effect of Ozone Therapy on AIDS & Hepatitis B" Business Wire (05/16/94) On May 30, Medizone International Inc. will initiate clinical trials to study the effects of Medizone therapy, an ozone-based treatment for diseases caused by lipid enveloped viruses, including AIDS. In the study to determine toxicity, patients with AIDS or hepatitis B will undergo an approximate one-hour procedure on alternate days during the course of a 12-week period. Ten ounces of blood will be drawn from patients and interfaced with Medizone (ozone/oxygen gas), after which the treated blood will be reinfused into the patient, who will be monitored for three months after completion of the treatment.