Date: Wed, 05 Oct 1994 09:10:27 -0400 (EDT) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary October 05, 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 ************************************************************ "U.N. to Battle Against Spread of AIDS in Rwanda" "French AIDS Scandal Targets Minister's Adviser" "Bastyr University Awarded Federal Grant for Alternative Medical Research of HIV/AIDS" "Rail Condom Ad Condemned as Irresponsible" "Court TV Plans Live Coverage of John Doe, Esq. v. Kohn, Nast & Graf" "Celebrities Game to Raise Money for AIDS at Loews Monopoly Power Breakfast" "The Immune Response Corporation Announces..." "The American Clinical Laboratory Association Recognizes AIDS Awareness Month" Medical Briefs: P. Aeruginosa Infection" "Get the Point" "AIDSLine: Live Long and Prosper" ************************************************************ "U.N. to Battle Against Spread of AIDS in Rwanda" Reuters (10/04/94) The United Nations has created a $1 million emergency fund to fight the spread of AIDS in Rwanda. One U.N. official said that victorious soldiers of the former rebel Rwanda Patriotic Front were an obstacle to halting the progression of AIDS inside Rwanda because "it is not easy for soldiers to accept the simple bare facts, that they will be mauled down by AIDS, rather than by machetes or AK-47 rifles." Another official noted that the U.N. had devised a plan to educate the soldiers about AIDS, and expressed hoped that this program will be more successful than a previous one. Rwandan health ministry officials, who said they were extremely concerned about the soldiers having unprotected sex, recommended that condoms be carried at all times. It is estimated that the number of adult Rwandans with full-blown AIDS will be at least 460,000 in 1997--up from 223,000 recorded in April. Health workers say that in the capital, Kigali, 73 percent of the women and 55 percent of the men are HIV-positive, including up to 60 percent of the soldiers. "French AIDS Scandal Targets Minister's Adviser" Reuters (10/04/94) Claude Weisselberg, a former adviser to French ex-health Minister Edmond Herve, was placed under investigation Tuesday for the alleged poisoning of 1,250 hemophiliacs with HIV-tainted blood products. Weisselberg, Herve's specialist on infectious diseases and blood transfusions in 1985, said he was shocked by the questioning and determined to defend himself. Similar investigations began last week for the former ministers of health and social affairs and for ex-Prime Minister Laurent Fabius. Weisselberg is suspected of helping delay AIDS tests in blood products until Paris developed its own version of the existing American test. "Bastyr University Awarded Federal Grant for Alternative Medical Research of HIV/AIDS" PR Newswire (10/04/94) The National Institutes of Health have awarded Bastyr University a three-year, $840,000 grant to establish an Alternative Medicine Center for research in HIV/AIDS. The center will study the use of alternative medicine therapy for HIV and AIDS patients, and will screen and evaluate HIV/AIDS therapies from the field of alternative medicine. Dr. Leanna Standish, Bastyr's director of research, and Dr. Carlo Calabrese, chairman of the research department at Bastyr, will head the new center. Bastyr is the only regionally accredited education and research center for alternative medicine in the United States. The university has conducted clinical research in HIV/AIDS and provided HIV/AIDS patient services since 1987 through its National Health Clinic. An increasing number of people who are HIV-positive are using several alternative therapies, including Chinese herbal medicine and mega vitamin therapy. Many of these treatments are self-administered and have not undergone sufficient clinical evaluation of their safety and efficacy. "Rail Condom Ad Condemned as Irresponsible" Reuters (10/04/94) Britain's Advertising Standards Authority on Tuesday condemned the state rail network for an advertisement displaying a dozen yellow condoms arranged in a circle like the European Union flag. The advertisement, designed to promote sales of European Rail passes for young people, was titled "Inter-rail. You've got the rest of your life to be good;" however, it also alluded to EU health campaigns to fight AIDS. A British rail spokesman justified the advertisement, saying that studies have shown that a significant number of 18- to 25-year-olds had sex without the protection of condoms while on vacation . "Court TV Plans Live Coverage of John Doe, Esq. v. Kohn, Nast & Graf" Entertainment Wire (10/04/94) The Courtroom Television Network is planning to have live coverage of John Doe, Esq. v. Kohn, Nast & Graf starting Oct. 5. John Doe, a Philadelphia attorney, is suing his former employers for discrimination because the firm allegedly fired him when it was discovered he had AIDS. He also charges that the law firm prevented him from getting another job. The defense says that John Doe's work did not merit contract renewal and that the firm was not aware that he had AIDS until he made his story public. "Celebrities Game to Raise Money for AIDS at Loews Monopoly Power Breakfast" Business Wire (10/04/94) AIDS Project Los Angeles has planned for Monday, Oct. 17 the Loews Monopoly Power Breakfast, a fast-paced game of Monopoly with two dozen celebrities participating as players. The fifth annual event is sponsored by the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel, Buzz Magazine, and the radio station 94.7. All proceeds will benefit APLA. The event is part of the Loews Hotels' companywide Good Neighbor Program that supports local charities. APLA, the second largest AIDS service organization in the United States, is dedicated to supporting and maintaining the best possible quality of life for HIV-infected people in Los Angeles County and to reducing the incidence of HIV-infection through reduction and prevention education. "The Immune Response Corporation Announces..." PR Newswire (10/03/94) Immune Response Corp. announced on Monday that it has published Phase II Dose-Ranging study findings in the October 1994 issue of the journal AIDS. The study evaluated the effect of HIV proteins on the immune system. It "clearly confirms and extends the safety and immunogenicity of the HIV-1 immunogen," according to John L. Turner, the study's principal author from the Graduate Hospital in Philadelphia. Immune Response is currently working with the FDA in planning future trials to determine if the therapy can delay the onset of AIDS symptoms. "The American Clinical Laboratory Association Recognizes AIDS Awareness Month" PR Newswire (10/03/94) In recognition of AIDS Awareness Month, the American Clinical Laboratory Association has prepared a "Q&A" fact sheet about the HIV antibody test. This is an effort to educate people about the test, about who should take the test, and about locations where the test is available. "Having information available about reliable and confidential testing is a very important step in the process of education and prevention," said Dr. David N. Sundwall, ACLA president. The association will also provide media with testing information about clinical conditions each month as part of its "Staying Healthy" program. ACLA is a national organization that represents over 60 percent of the independent clinical laboratory testing in the United States. "Medical Briefs: P. Aeruginosa Infection" Advocate (09/20/94) No. 664, P. 25; Cohan, Gary R. Researchers at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City studied 27 occurrences of P. Aeruginosa bacterium--a significant opportunistic pathogen common among AIDS patients--in 21 people. There were 21 primary infections and six relapses that were found in locations such as the lungs, the upper respiratory system, and an indwelling catheter. Risk factors for infection include low levels of granulocytes, intravascular catheterization, and hospitalization. "Get the Point" Village Voice (09/20/94) Vol. 39, No. 38, P. 6; Stuen-Parker, Jon Stephen Arrendell's "Growing Pains and Needles" article did not note the extent of the National AIDS Brigade's New York City needle-exchange program, writes Jon Stuen-Parker, Director of the National AIDS Brigade, in a letter to the editors of the Village Voice. Some areas of the program reach over 100 intravenous drug users an hour, making it the largest one of its kind in New York City. NAB established the first needle-exchange program in the United States in 1986 and now reaches Manhattan, the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens. Despite arrests and lack of support, NAB has continued the needle-exchange program, which now has more than 12,000 participants in New York City. "AIDSLine: Live Long and Prosper" Advocate (09/20/94) No. 664, P. 26; Cohan, Gary R. Long-term survivors represent approximately 5 percent of the HIV-positive population. Some defining characteristics for this segment include being HIV-positive for at least seven years, having not used antiretroviral drugs, and not having HIV-related symptoms. When studied, the nonprogressors shared factors including low levels of HIV in peripheral blood, elevated CD8 T-cell levels, and a favorable genetic genotype for nonprogression.