Date: Thu, 26 May 1994 09:27:49 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary May 26, 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 "AIDS Home Struggles on 2 Fronts" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/26/94) P. B1; Collins, Huntly Betak, Philadelphia's only nursing home exclusively for AIDS patients, is struggling with two crises as protesters fast to protest the facility's threatened closing and the search continues for increased funding to keep it open. A dozen protesters, most of them HIV-positive and all of them members of the local activist group We the People Living With AIDS/HIV, have embarked on the third day of their hunger strike. Dr. Nicolas Ifft, a local AIDS physician, said that fasting could seriously weaken people in the advanced stages of the disease, but the protesters said it is a risk they are willing to take to keep their home open. Meanwhile, City Health Commissioner Estelle Richman has promised that Betak will remain open for the next two weeks. The facility needs more state funding to remain open past that time, according to Betak president Rev. Arnold Tiemeyer. The nursing home must find a way to plug a $768,000 hole in its $2.8 million annual budget. City officials are negotiating with the state for more money. "Gebbie's Reception Falls Flat After HIV Carriers Are Barred" Washington Times (05/26/94) P. A6; Price, Joyce A reception held by federal AIDS policy coordinator Kristine M. Gebbie to commemorate Pediatric and Adolescent AIDS Week and AIDS Watch--two days of intense congressional lobbying by AIDS advocates--flopped when nine invited HIV-positive, homeless guests and 20 other invitees were denied entrance to the event. The resulting commotion and confusion spawned accusations of racism and discrimination against homeless people, and many guests who were admitted to the reception walked out in protest. They did so at the urging of a black client of Housing Works, a New York group that shelters homeless AIDS patients--including the nine who were admitted. According to Justin Henderson, a nurse at Housing Works, and Keith Cylar, co-director of the agency, about a third of the people inside the reception area at the Old Executive Office Building walked out. But John Gurrola, a spokesman for Gebbie, said that only about 10 percent of the guests walked out. He also denied allegations of racism, and said that ultimately only three people--all whites--were barred from the event. The incident mounted further criticism of Gebbie, who activists say has not done enough to fight AIDS. "A Fierce Debate Over Testing of Two AIDS Vaccines" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/26/94) P. A1; Collins, Huntly The government faces a tough decision over whether to proceed with human testing to determine if two vaccines, now deemed safe, effectively protect people from AIDS. In three weeks, a federal advisory panel must decide whether to recommend moving ahead with large-scale field trials--a decision that is complicated, with far-reaching implications. The two vaccines are among several dozen in development. They may not necessarily be the best, but it will be several years at least before something better comes along. And if the government waits for better products, it may waste precious time. On the other hand, if the government gives the thumbs-up for vaccine trials and they don't work, future trials of more promising vaccines will likely be undermined. In addition, there are a number of ethical, social, and political issues concerning large-scale testing of any AIDS vaccines. For example, volunteers enrolled in trials may face discrimination because they would be perceived as being at high risk for infection. These sticky issues have convinced some that the tests should not be conducted, sparking an intense debate among scientists, activists, and public health figures. In mid-June, Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will be asked to advise the government about which path to take. Fauci will then make the final decision. "A Teenager With HIV and a Message" Washington Post (05/26/94) P. D.C.1; Young, Vincent Although 18-year-old Michael Hodges of Washington, D.C., is not yet showing AIDS symptoms, he knows this reprieve will not last forever--so he spends the time he does have warning other teenagers about the deadly disease. Hodges, who is gay, was diagnosed with HIV at the age of 15. The D.C. Commission of Public Health Agency for HIV/AIDS reported last September that one in every 45 District teens may be HIV-positive. Still, according to Aiyshen Stanley, program assistant for the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP), adolescents are not absorbing the safe sex message. WRAP recently invited Hodges to speak to several hundred high school students. "Michael's story is shocking--and when the young people he talks to hear it, they can't ignore the message," says Stanley. "They learn from him." Since 1992, Hodges and Gregory Hutchings, director of the Lifelink AIDS outreach center and a mentor, have scheduled a slew of speaking engagements. "I think Michael is in demand because there's a rapid rate of HIV/AIDS among teenagers," says Howard Whitfield, coordinator of the speaker's bureau of the National Association of People With AIDS. "And it's hard to reach teenagers because they aren't open about their sexuality and HIV status." "Russia Plans AIDS Tests for Foreigners--Activists" Reuters (05/25/94) The Russian government plans to require foreign residents and visitors to undergo HIV testing and deport those who are infected, according to Aesop, an AIDS pressure group. The group said the provisions were included in a new AIDS prevention law to be debated by the lower house of parliament in June. Aesop denounced the proposed legislation, which it said would also mandate compulsory testing of people thought to be at high risk for infection. The law violates international human rights norms, said the group. Government health officials were unavailable to comment on Aesop's statements. "French Prisoner With AIDS Wins Pardon" Reuters (05/25/94) A French prisoner serving a 10-year sentence for armed robbery was granted a presidential pardon because he is dying of AIDS, announced Justice Minister Pierre Mehaignerie. "When someone is sick, we try to make sure he can live with his family during his last few weeks," he said. Following Mehaignerie's recommendations, President Francois Mitterand pardoned 42-year-old Gerard Boucher after about 200 inmates in the city of Nantes signed a petition on his behalf. Bouchez, who is in the terminal stages of AIDS, contracted the disease before going to jail. He served four years of his prison term before being released on Tuesday. "Sex Happens in Refugee Camps, Too" Washington Post (05/25/94) P. E19; Mann, Judy As hundreds of thousands of Rwandans pour into Tanzanian relief camps, they emphasize the need for the international relief community to provide new services, such as family planning information and condom distribution, in addition to basic needs. This is especially crucial to Rwandan refugees who are gathered in an area that fosters the highest AIDS infection rate in Tanzania, says Naomi Bakunzi Katunzi, head of UMATI, the largest nongovernmental family planning agency in Tanzania. The idea that people in refugee camps don't have sex, according to Jack Bode of the International Rescue Committee, simply is not true. "Even if you're not talking about pregnancy, you are talking about AIDS prevention," he says. Although family planning services are now part of disaster relief policy, that policy needs to be made a reality. For Rwandan refugees in the AIDS-ravaged areas of Tanzania, there is no time to waste. "A Tough Judge in Ohio" Advocate (05/17/94) No. 655, P. 22 A common pleas judge in Ohio took no mercy in sentencing a Columbus man with advanced-stage AIDS who was convicted of assault for spitting blood in the face of a police officer. The incident occurred in the emergency room of a hospital where 37-year-old Jimmy Bird was taken in October after being found drunk and bleeding at a restaurant. Although prosecutors said they would not object to probation for Bird, Judge Deborah O'Neill handed down an unusually harsh sentence of three to 15 years in prison. She noted that Bird was a repeat offender "with indifference [about] exposing another human being to this disease." The judge said she may grant Bird probation after he serves 60 days of his sentence.