Date: Tue, 27 Sep 1994 09:23:15 -0400 (EDT) From: "ANNE WILSON, CDC NAC" AIDS Daily Summary September 27, 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: California" "Doctors Have Lucrative Business Tie" "Abbott Product's Ad Campaign Targeting People with AIDS Sparks Debate" "Dr. Shalala Calls for Bold Steps on Women, Children and AIDS" "Increased Cases of AIDS in Washington to Require Greater Emotional Support for Children Affected by the Disease" "Consensus is You Can Bank on Blood" "Chimp Model Holds Hope for Attenuated HIV-1 Vaccine" "US Sticks Head in the Sand on AIDS Prevention" "Old Drug Holds New Hope for Increasing HIV Survival" "Recognizing Denial Among HIV-Infected Clients" ************************************************************ "Across the USA: California" USA Today (09/27/94) P. 4A The recently renovated $2.3 million Parker Hotel has opened in Los Angeles. It will house people with HIV and mentally disabled individuals living on their own for the first time. "Doctors Have Lucrative Business Tie" Boston Globe (09/26/94) P. 1; Golden, Daniel; Kurkjian, Stephen Two Boston AIDS specialists, Dr. David Russell and Dr. Scott Harris, receive almost $200,000 a year from Chartwell Home Therapies of Waltham, Mass. Chartwell is one of the United States' 10 largest providers of home infusion services, whose clients include people with AIDS. Since the doctors signed the contract, they have referred more of their patients to Chartwell than to all of its other competitors combined. The U.S. Department of Justice has subpoenaed Russell to testify about his Chartwell dealings because federal law bans payment for referral of government-insured patients, and because Massachusetts law extends that rule to all insured patients. Chartwell says that it pays the doctors at "fair market value" for doing research on AIDS patients, as well as for overseeing and monitoring a satellite clinic in the South End of Boston. Last year, federal investigators estimated that half of all infusion companies pay doctors for referrals through stock giveaways, "research" grants that don't require any work, and fees of up to $150 per patient. "Abbott Product's Ad Campaign Targeting People with AIDS Sparks Debate" Chicago Tribune (09/26/94) P. 4-7 Advera, the first AIDS-specific product to be advertised in the mainstream press, has a controversial new ad campaign. People who work with HIV-positive patients are concerned that Abbott Laboratories, the makers of Advera, are trying to profit from the severely ill. The Advera ad shows a tan, athletic, and handsome man who says he has HIV and drinks Advera, a fortified nutritional drink designed for people with HIV or AIDS, to maintain his energy and strength. The manufacturers say that Advera helps HIV and AIDS patients maintain their weight, preserves muscle mass, and possibly bolsters the immune system. Dr. John Stansell, medical director of San Francisco General Hospital's AIDS Clinic, says that "The advertising gives the impression that every HIV-positive person needs to be taking supplements," and that is not necessarily true. "Dr. Shalala Calls for Bold Steps on Women, Children and AIDS" PR Newswire (09/26/94) While opening the 24th Pan American Sanitary Conference in Washington, D.C., Dr. Donna Shalala, Secretary of Health and Human Services, stated that one of the greatest challenges to Pan American countries is to end the suffering caused by AIDS. It is also necessary to provide healthy futures for children and to improve the health and safety of women, Shalala said. The conference deals with public health conditions in the Hemisphere and meets every four years to set policies for the Pan American Health Organization, the regional office for the World Health Organization. "Increased Cases of AIDS in Washington to Require Greater Emotional Support for Children Affected by the Disease" PR Newswire (09/26/94) A press conference will be held on Sept. 27 by Rise n' Shine to address the problems presented by the increase of AIDS cases and the its effects on children. Thirty thousand American children have had parents die as a result of AIDS. In Washington state, HIV is growing significantly faster in women than among men. The conference is being held to suggest plans for care because the need for specialized services for women and children will continue to increase. "Consensus is You Can Bank on Blood" Toronto Globe and Mail (09/24/94) P. A4; Coutts, Jane The consensus on the Canadian blood supply is that it is as safe as it was before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration inspection, and that this safety level has been maintained since screening and testing for HIV in blood were introduced. Canadian officials say that the United States' standards are different, but not necessarily better, than those in Canada. There is a debate among experts on the differences between blood systems; for example, the volunteered blood in Canada versus paid donations from the poor in the United States. Douglas Lindores, secretary-general of the Canadian Red Cross, acknowledges that there may be some benefit from the FDA report and controversy in that it convinced people that they cannot avoid the U.S. regulations and maintain the former practices. "Chimp Model Holds Hope for Attenuated HIV-1 Vaccine" American Medical News (09/12/94) Vol. 37, No. 34, P. 20; Pinkney, Deborah Shelton Researchers, knowing that HIV-1 infected chimpanzees do not develop AIDS, exposed two infected chimps to a different HIV-1 strain with the result that both resisted infection by the second virus. The study's lead author, Riri Shibata of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that the chimpanzees' initial infection made them immune to a second infection. This means that the chimpanzees can serve as a model system for the development of an attenuated HIV-1 vaccine for humans. The study was conducted with the collaboration of the National Cancer Institute, Duke University, the M.D. Anderson Cancer Hospital, and the Coulston Foundation; the results were presented at the 10th International Conference on AIDS in early August. Also at the conference, Jay A. Levy of the University of California at San Francisco described another animal model, in which baboons, whose immune systems are similar to humans', were infected with HIV and developed AIDS. "US Sticks Head in the Sand on AIDS Prevention" Journal of the American Medical Association (09/14/94) Vol. 272, No. 10, P. 756; Cotton, Paul Although the United States considers itself the best in health care, its AIDS prevention tactics are among the worst. As other countries reveal new school-based sex education programs, the United States government is considering amendments that would stop federal funding of schools that "encouraged" any sexual behavior or "acceptance" of homosexuality. Additional contributors to the problem are the media--including some television networks which still refuse to air condom commercials--and politics, such as the practice of refusing to allow HIV-infected persons to enter the country. Studies show that the majority of all HIV infections take place prior to age 25, thus information and support must be made available before the person becomes sexually active. This will prevent them from being infected, and will help control the spread of AIDS. Mariella Baldo, of the World Health Organization's AIDS program, states that the majority of parents, when actually consulted, have strongly supported school sex education programs and that the fear and denial of sexuality is still the greatest barrier to overcome. "Old Drug Holds New Hope for Increasing HIV Survival" AIDS Alert (09/94) Vol. 9, No. 9, P. 124 Studies have found that acyclovir taken in conjunction with AZT can add up to one year of survival for AIDS patients. Researchers presenting the results at the 10th International Conference on AIDS say that they cannot account for the results, but that their findings show the immediate need for more combination therapy trials. Survival times and progression to AIDS were studied and compared in men who took acyclovir by itself or in combination with AZT as opposed to those who took AZT alone. The combination of drugs did not reduce progression of AIDS, but did reduce the risk of death by 44 percent when acyclovir was taken after the development of AIDS. "Not only does the study suggest that acyclovir prolongs survival in AIDS patients, but the dose needed appears to be no more than required to suppress a herpes simplex infection," says lead author of the study, Daniel Stein, director of clinical pharmacology studies at Albany (NY) Medical Center. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases wants more data before making any guidelines for prescribing acyclovir to AIDS patients because there are too many unknown factors. "Recognizing Denial Among HIV-Infected Clients" Focus (09/94) Vol. 8, No. 9, P. 1; Opper Reiss, Jody Denial, while accepted as a healthy defense mechanism, presents a challenge to health care workers who work with HIV patients to distinguish between its adaptive and maladaptive aspects. Some of the beneficial effects of denial are that an HIV-positive person will make future plans, remain an active participant in the world, and be motivated to fight back. Denial can, however, also prevent people from seeking medical care and put others at risk of getting HIV. Although denial may be necessary, part of a healthy adjustment is to get past this defense. Recent studies of long-term AIDS survivors propose that their lack of denial is linked to psychological resilience and self-reported satisfaction with their lives. Clinicians who work with HIV patients must be attuned to recognize and assess denial as it progresses in the patient. The clinician's role includes supporting healthy denial, but also being grounded in reality to help the patient see a less apprehensive future, thus shedding the denial. "'SMART SEX' Airs Tonight on MTV" CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse In the continuing effort to educate young adults about preventing HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), MTV will premiere a groundbreaking, one-hour television special, "SMART SEX", on Tuesday, September 27, from 10:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. EST. Produced by Linda Ellerbee's award-winning Lucky Duck Productions and hosted by Christian Slater, "SMART SEX" provides young adults with an inside look at how their peers are handling sexual choices in the age of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provided technical assistance and support in developing this special. The program's format will appeal to the target audience of 18- to 25-year-olds. Instead of lecturing about safe sex, "SMART SEX" combines honest and open dialogue with upbeat music and graphics. It features eleven young adults, straight and gay, in a variety of sexual relationships: single and safely playing the field; promiscuous and refusing to use condoms; HIV-positive and practicing safer sex; and choosing abstinence for now. For more information, please call the CDC National AIDS Hotline at 1-(800) 342-2437.