Date: Mon, 07 Nov 1994 09:04:04 -0500 (EST) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary November 7, 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 ************************************************************ "Kuwait Might Test Visitors for AIDS" "Abandoned and Dying Babies Symbolize South Africa's AIDS Problem" "U.S. Blood Supply Safe, Researchers Say" "Earning Respect" "National Advocacy Groups Call for Withdrawal of Johnson & Johnson's Application for HIV Home Test" "Home But Not Alone--Homesharing Program" "Nation's Divorce and Matrimonial Attorneys See Significant Increase in AIDS in Divorce Cases, Posing Special Problems" "Sunset Boulevard to Close for Charity Fund-Raiser for Homebound with AIDS" "Reduction of Maternal-Infant Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with Zidovudine Treatment" "New Attitudes Boost Condom Sales" ************************************************************ "Kuwait Might Test Visitors for AIDS" Reuters (11/07/94) Kuwaiti citizens and expatriates who frequently visit countries with high AIDS rates may soon be tested for AIDS, the Arab Times reported Saturday. Kuwait already requires that all expatriates working in the emirate be tested, and all non-Kuwaitis who test positive for HIV are deported. Fewer than 30 Kuwaiti nationals have tested HIV-positive since 1985. "Abandoned and Dying Babies Symbolize South Africa's AIDS Problem" Los Angeles Times (11/06/94) P. A11; Venter, Sahm Despite the South Africa's medical facilities, the most advanced in Africa, AIDS is spreading rapidly through the country. The former white government neglected health care for blacks, who make up 75 percent of the 40 million population. The almost 14,500 babies that are born HIV-infected are part of a growing problem in South Africa. Cultural and religious customs, such as multiple partners and large families, hinder efforts to fight the spread of the disease. "When you diagnose a child, you are saying his mother's got it, maybe the father, the siblings. You are diagnosing the community as well," said Dr. John Burgess, who runs an AIDS clinic at the Red Cross Children's Hospital in Cape Town. Dr. Nkosazana Zuma, South Africa's health minister, plans to nearly double the $6.2 million spent by the former government to fight AIDS. The money will target areas such as education, prevention, and buying condoms. "U.S. Blood Supply Safe, Researchers Say" Reuters (11/06/94) Harvey Klein, chief of the department of transfusion medicine at the National Institutes of Health, said Sunday that the U.S. blood supply is immensely safer than it was in the past, due in part to the all-volunteer blood donor policy. Only volunteers are accepted because donors who sell their blood are less likely to be honest about their health history. The risk of receiving HIV-infected blood is approximately one infection in every 225,000 units of blood transfused. Blood plasma--for which many donors are paid--is 10 times as likely to carry infectious agents as donated blood, but unlike blood can be treated to inactivate viruses. "Earning Respect" Baltimore Sun (11/05/94) P. 1D; Selby, Holly Mary Fisher--a wealthy Republican woman who became HIV-infected through her husband--first gained the national spotlight two years ago when, at the Republican national convention, she announced that she was HIV-infected. She urged the convention to show compassion for all people with AIDS. Ms. Fisher, an artist, has since founded the Families with AIDS Network, a support group for care-givers of people with AIDS. She has also earned the grudging respect of AIDS activists, such as Torie Osborn, former executive director of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, who said, "She speaks purposefully in places not used to hearing messages of compassion--and especially not about AIDS." Ms. Fisher regularly travels around the country speaking in the most conservative churches, to Republican women's social clubs, and to corporations. "National Advocacy Groups Call for Withdrawal of Johnson & Johnson's Application for HIV Home Test" PR Newswire (11/04/94) Citing unlawful promotion of a proposed HIV home testing product, the National Lesbian and Gay Health Association (NLGHA), The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA), and Americans for a Sound AIDS/HIV Policy (ASAP), have filed a complaint with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) against Johnson & Johnson and its subsidiary, Direct Access Diagnostics. The groups request the withdrawal of the FDA's consideration of Johnson & Johnson's application for its proposed product until a thorough investigation is conducted. "Johnson & Johnson is trying to ramrod this product through the FDA without regard for federal regulations or rules-of-fair-play," said NLGHA Executive Director Christopher Portelli. The three organizations voiced opposition to the test as early as April 1994, and say that questions including the quality of pre- and post-test counseling and the potential for fraudulent testing must be addressed prior to approval of any home testing product. "Home But Not Alone--Homesharing Program" Business Wire (11/04/94) "Home But Not Alone" is a homesharing program that matches compatible people looking to share living arrangements, expenses, and household duties. The program was created by Housemate Match--a service sponsored by the Atlanta Jewish Community Center--to provide affordable housing for people with HIV. Housing Opportunities for People With AIDS has provided a grant for "Home But Not Alone." The program is available to people who are without a place to live and are at risk of becoming homeless and to homeproviders with extra space in their homes. One person in the match must be HIV-infected. "Nation's Divorce and Matrimonial Attorneys See Significant Increase in AIDS in Divorce Cases, Posing Special Problems" PR Newswire (11/03/94) The major topics at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers included AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. One quarter of the lawyers attending the meeting said they have been involved in divorce proceedings that involve HIV-infected spouses and/or children. AIDS and HIV-related cases entail special issues, such as child custody. A survey of academy membership reported problems caused by a lack of sufficient knowledge by the courts and the bar about AIDS and HIV-infected spouses, as well as the problems posed by the depletion of assets due to medical costs and the visitation of children by HIV-infected ex-spouses in such cases. Norma Trusch, a Houston attorney who chaired the AIDS program, said that AIDS creates special ethical issues for lawyers such as representing clients with dementia and handling knowledge of unsafe sex practices. "Sunset Boulevard to Close for Charity Fund-Raiser for Homebound with AIDS" PR Newswire (11/03/94) On Nov. 13, Sunset Boulevard will close for The Race to Deliver, a five kilometer run/walk. Men's Health Magazine and Polo Sport--the fitness fragrance by Ralph Lauren--are sponsoring the event, which will benefit Project Angel Food, an organization that brings hot meals to those in Los Angeles who are homebound because of AIDS. Project Angel Food is the only Los Angeles group that is completely devoted to providing free, hot meals to homebound people with AIDS. The new Sunset Boulevard kitchen will allow the organization to double its meal production to 1,000 meals a day and cut costs by consolidating its operations. Project Angel Food makes accommodations for the special needs of immune-suppressed clients. Both event sponsors are also sponsoring their employees who participate. "Reduction of Maternal-Infant Transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 with Zidovudine Treatment" New England Journal of Medicine (11/03/94) Vol. 331, No. 18, P. 1173; Connor, Edward M.; Sperling, Rhoda S.; Gelber, Richard et al Young children become infected with HIV-1 principally through maternal-infant transmission. The Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group conducted a multicenter study in the United States and France to assess the efficacy and safety of zidovudine (AZT) in reducing such transmissions. A total of 477 HIV-positive pregnant women with CD4+ cell counts above 200 were enrolled. Only 8.3 percent of the babies who received AZT tested positive for HIV, while 25.5 percent of the infants in the placebo group tested positive. The researchers found that administering AZT to the pregnant mother throughout pregnancy, labor, and delivery and giving it to the infant for six weeks reduced the risk of HIV transmission by about two-thirds. The birth levels of hemoglobin in infants in the AZT group were significantly lower than those in the placebo group but, by 12 weeks, both groups had similar levels. "New Attitudes Boost Condom Sales" Convenience Store News (10/16/94) Vol. 30, No. 14, P. 22; Carlin, Sybil Serious concerns about AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases have brought condoms from behind the pharmacy counter and made them more acceptable. In 1977, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that condoms could be sold in any type of outlet to consumers of any age--though it is up to the individual store whether and where condoms are sold. Some stores place packages of condoms prominently on the checkout counter or on self-serve pegboards, but others still choose to keep them behind the counter. "By 1991, most c-store[convenience store] chains decided that selling condoms was not only profitable, but they were doing the community a service. It wasn't as big an evil as they may have thought," said Dave Harrington, national accounts manager at Ansell Consumer Products--maker of LifeStyles condoms. Condoms are now often sold as novelty items--in single packs and in forms such as the shape of a lollipop or a key chain. Along with the change in attitude are changes in packaging to make buying condoms easier and less embarrassing. Wrap It Right targets women with its product "Soft Sax for Safe Sex," cloth drawstring pouches containing three condoms--women now make up 35 to 40 percent of all condom buyers.