Date: Mon, 24 Oct 1994 09:05:53 -0400 (EDT) From: "JOHN FANNING, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary October 24, 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 ************************************************************ "Report Says Hemophilia Foundation Knew Early That AIDS Was Probably Spread by Blood" "AIDS Fear Means Gloves for Bus Drivers" "AIDS Curriculum: Fighting Words" "Backlog of Cases Drives Up Total of AIDS Victims" "Court: Disabilities Act Applies to Health Plans" "Across the USA: Florida" "AIDS on Rise Among Young African Women" "Hospital Care Grievances and Psychosocial Needs Expressed by PWAs: An Analysis of Qualitative Data" "Needle-Exchange Programme Against AIDS in Brazil" "Koop's Grim Diagnosis" ************************************************************ "Report Says Hemophilia Foundation Knew Early That AIDS Was Probably Spread by Blood" New York Times (10/24/94) P. B9 The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that the fact that AIDS was most likely a blood-borne virus that pharmaceutical companies could eliminate from blood-clotting medicine commonly given to hemophiliacs was known to executives of the National Hemophilia Foundation as early as 1982. More than half of the 20,000 hemophiliacs in the United States have become HIV-infected from tainted clotting factor, and approximately 3,000 of them have died. As evidence, the Inquirer cited sworn testimony and documents from a class-action lawsuit filed last year in Federal District Court in Chicago by patients and their families against the foundation and four drug companies. The lawsuit claims that the defendants continued to sell and promote certain clotting products even though they knew that some blood donors were at high-risk for HIV-infection. The drug companies--Rhone-Poulenc Rorer and its subsidiary, the Armour Pharmaceutical Company; Miles, Inc.; the Baxter Healthcare Corporation; and the Alpha Therapeutic Corporation--said they responded to the AIDS crisis as soon as possible during a time when very little was known about the disease. Drug companies have won all but one of 14 jury trials of lawsuits filed by hemophilia patients or their survivors--the 14th case is being appealed. Related Stories: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/23) A1; Baltimore Sun (10/24) P. 1A "AIDS Fear Means Gloves for Bus Drivers" Washington Times (10/24/94) P. A9 Bus drivers in Broward County, Fla.--who are afraid of catching AIDS and other diseases--are being given latex gloves to wear when driving. Some drivers have complained of handling transfers with blood and saliva on them; others have refused to touch the transfers--telling riders to place them in a basket instead. The gloves were first made available on Friday, but there is no estimate yet on how many drivers used them. Some AIDS educators said there was little or no risk of catching a disease from a piece of paper. The virus that causes AIDS is transmitted through sexual contact, tainted needles, or blood transfusions. Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/24) P. A5 "AIDS Curriculum: Fighting Words" New York Times (10/24/94) P. B1; Dillon, Sam There is great disagreement about what the latest AIDS guide for the New York City school system should contain. Louise Phillips and her allies have been fighting to make sure the curriculum encourages abstinence. Erica Zurer and her supporters have been fighting to ensure that plenty of information on condoms is included in the guide. One debate over a footnote encouraging explicit classroom explanations of sexual intercourse sparked a shouting match over where to place the asterisk, though the deeper issue was how to teach about the various types of sex. Another confrontation focused on a ninth-grade lesson in which Mrs. Phillips proposed appending to the statement "Sexual intercourse involves the risks of pregnancy and disease" the phrase "and death from AIDS." Mrs. Zurer objected to the addition, claiming that the curriculum should not aim to frighten children. The Sexuality Information and Education Center in Manhattan says that parents in at least 250 other cities and towns have engaged in similar battles over to how to balance abstinence and condoms in school sex education. The New York City school system's AIDS advisory council--which reviews the curriculums before sending them to the board for approval--starts its review of the high school guide today. Related Story: New York Times (10/22) P. 27 "Backlog of Cases Drives Up Total of AIDS Victims" Washington Times (10/24/94) P. C3 The number of confirmed AIDS cases in Maryland leaped past 10,000 this month. As of October, there were 10,140 reported cases of AIDS in Maryland--up from 8,976 in June. The three-month increase stems mainly from a backlog that had gone unreported by the Baltimore City Health Department in early 1994. The delay was blamed on job vacancies in the city's AIDS surveillance division that have since been filled. The state AIDS Administration will evaluate the methods used to process the 1,164 newly recorded AIDS cases, as well as the entire surveillance program for the city. The evaluation will not be completed until November. According the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, last year Maryland had the seventh-highest rate of AIDS per 100,000 population in the country. Federal AIDS funding is partially based on the totals for each metropolitan area. "Court: Disabilities Act Applies to Health Plans" Journal of Commerce (10/24/94) P. 13A The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that companies providing health insurance plans for businesses may not discriminate against workers with disabilities--including AIDS. The ruling overturned a previous lower court decision that said health insurance companies were not subject to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from discriminating against employees with disabilities. Marc Elovitz, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union's National AIDS Project--which filed a brief on behalf of the plaintiff--said that last week's ruling set an important precedent for interpreting the ADA. "Across the USA: Florida" USA Today (10/24/94) P. 11A The 1,187 reported cases of syphilis in Florida in 1993 is the lowest level in the state in 30 years. The decrease is attributed to the fear of AIDS. The syphilis rate in Florida peaked at 8,292 cases in 1988. "AIDS on Rise Among Young African Women" Reuters (10/21/94) Dr. Eka Williams, a Nigerian doctor, told a conference on AIDS and tuberculosis in Africa hosted by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that young women in Africa were contracting HIV at an alarming rate. "I do not know of any program that addresses the spread of HIV among adolescents," she said. Dr. Williams cited statistics that point to 11 to 12 women in Africa becoming HIV-infected for every one African man; she also said that Africa is the only continent where more women test HIV-positive than men. The problem is increased by polygamy and the practice among some men of having sex with many partners. Williams has been working since 1988 in a network of Nigerian health care professionals trying to do something about the spread of AIDS. "Hospital Care Grievances and Psychosocial Needs Expressed by PWAs: An Analysis of Qualitative Data" Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (9/94-10/94) Vol. 5, No. 5, P. 21; Foley, Mary E.; Fahs, Marianne C. A study was conducted to analyze AIDS patients' reactions to hospitalization, and their experiences while hospitalized. Fifty patients hospitalized for AIDS-related complications were interviewed. The participants' complaints included the lack of information concerning treatments and diagnosis, the routinization of treatment procedures--some patients were not given a choice in the matter, and the lack of availability of medical personnel. These deficits and depersonalizing behavior added to the worries of people with AIDS. The study can be used to improve the medical profession-patient relationship, but the authors recommend further investigation to improve PWAs' hospitalization experiences. "Needle-Exchange Programme Against AIDS in Brazil" Lancet (10/08/94) Vol. 344, No. 8928, P. 1013; Csillag, Claudio The Brazilian Ministry of Health reports that the number of new AIDS cases in Brazil has stabilized. The increase for 1992-1993 was 2 percent--there were 11,319 new cases in 1992 and 11,522 in 1993. Four years ago, a Brazilian person diagnosed with AIDS would live only five to eight months after diagnosis, but current research in Rio Grande do Sul shows that patients may now live up to a full year after diagnosis. Lair Guerra, director of the national program against sexually transmitted diseases/AIDS, credits therapy improvements and free medicines--such as stavudine--for the increased life-expectancy. Also, a $9.1 million needle and syringe exchange program will be introduced in November in five Brazilian cities. As part of the program, drug users will receive medical and psychological care after registering at health centers and universities. "Koop's Grim Diagnosis" Advocate (10/18/94) No. 666, P. 16 C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general, said during a speech at Ohio Wesleyan University that "there will never be a cure [for AIDS], and the likelihood of a vaccine is dim." He also said that education is the only way to fight the disease, as science will not likely find a cure. Koop, now a professor at Dartmouth University's medical school, tried to focus public attention on AIDS during the Reagan administration.