Date: Wed, 26 Jul 1995 09:32:43 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 07/26/95 AIDS Daily Summary July 26, 1995 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "Glaxo Wellcome to Cut or Relocate 1,000 Jobs in U.S." "Obituary: Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman and Then Gay-Rights Advocate" "Confusion Reigns over Russia's AIDS Law" "U.S. Sees World Threat from Old, New Diseases" "China Teaches Students AIDS Lessons with Condoms" "Risk-Taking Young Keep Life Expectancy Down in EU" "Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Persons" "...And Says Blood Claims Are 'Simplistic'" ************************************************************ "Glaxo Wellcome to Cut or Relocate 1,000 Jobs in U.S." Wall Street Journal (07/26/95) P. B8; Bray, Nicholas On Tuesday, Glaxo Wellcome PLC announced plans for the extensive reorganization of its U.S. manufacturing operations. A total of 1,000 jobs may be eliminated from the company born out of Glaxo PLC's takeover of Wellcome PLC earlier this year. According to the plan, the former Glaxo plant in Zebulon, N.C., will become the central prescription drug producer, while the former Wellcome unit in Greenville, N.C., will continue making over-the-counter drugs "for the foreseeable future." Distribution and technical development activities will be located at the company's U.S. headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C., or in Zebulon. Glaxo Wellcome's key therapies include such antivirals as Zovirax for the treatment of herpes and Retrovir, which is used to treat AIDS. Related Story: New York Times (07/26) P. D3; Washington Post (07/26) P. G2; Investor's Business Daily (07/26) P. B13 "Obituary: Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman and Then Gay-Rights Advocate" New York Times (07/26/95) P. D19 Jon Hinson, the conservative Congressman who became a gay rights activist after leaving office due to a morals charge, died last Friday of respiratory failure resulting from AIDS. In 1978, Hinson rose from relative political obscurity to obtain Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District Seat as a conservative Republican. But early in his second term, in April 1981, he resigned after being arrested in the men's washroom in a federal office building on a charge of oral sodomy. Hinson later publicly acknowledged that he was gay and became active in homosexual political matters. His actions included challenging the ban on gays in the military, and founding the Fairfax (Va.) Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association. Hinson is survived by his brother. Related Story: Washington Post (07/26) P. B4 "Confusion Reigns over Russia's AIDS Law" Boston Globe (07/25/95) P. 6; Hoell, Susanne Although a new law that requires travelers who plan extended visits in Russia to prove that they are HIV-negative takes effect next week, some people are still not sure how it will work. One member of the Health Ministry said the Foreign Ministry is preparing a form that visitors, including students and journalists, would have to complete--but a Foreign Ministry official claimed he knew nothing about it. Foreigners planning to stay more than 90 days would have to show certificates that they are not infected with the virus that causes AIDS when they are asked for visas, according to the Health Ministry's Mikhail Narkevich. Foreigners with valid Russian visas should present their certificate when extending their visas. Western embassies, however, say they have no information about how travelers are supposed to prove they are not infected. "At the moment the situation is unclear," a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy said. The new law has been widely opposed by AIDS activists and medical experts, who say it is medically senseless and discriminatory. "U.S. Sees World Threat from Old, New Diseases" Reuters (07/25/95); Kenen, Joanne Disease-fighting experts on Tuesday called for a coordinated global response to such diseases as the Ebola virus, HIV, and tuberculosis. Scientists and health authorities at a State Department forum on a new report on emerging and re-emerging diseases also asked for U.S. leadership and international attempts to improve disease detection and the resources needed to respond to them quickly. "These diseases know no boundaries between counties, between states, between countries," said U.S. Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Timothy Wirth. The experts said that existing federal and international agencies need to be supported and strengthened. In addition, the report recommended the formation of regional networks to look out for diseases and respond to them, connecting health officials and laboratories around the world. Within the United States, the experts called for increased disease surveillance at local and federal levels, and for collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve testing and vaccine capabilities in case of an emergency. "China Teaches Students AIDS Lessons with Condoms" Reuters (07/25/95) A new pilot program in China's universities will, for the first time, teach students the importance of condoms in preventing AIDS. Approximately 80,000 students in Shanghai and the province of Henan will be issued information about AIDS and how to use condoms, says Xie Mouhong of the State Education Commission's health department. The trial will be the first time China's conservative schools have promoted condoms as a method of avoiding HIV transmission, Xie adds. The program will begin in September, and authorities hope to extend the AIDS lesson nationwide later this year or early in 1996. "Risk-Taking Young Keep Life Expectancy Down in EU" Reuters (07/24/95) According to the European Union's (EU's) first report on its members' health, young people tend to live "riskier lives" than in the past. Although the report noted that people are healthier than ever before, it cautioned that "current social behavior raises the question of how far life expectancy can be further extended." Men between the ages of 15 and 34 account for 45 percent of deaths from car accidents, 85 percent of all homicides, and constitute a large number of AIDS deaths. The incidence of AIDS is greatest in France, Italy, and Spain--which, combined, are thought to account for nearly 75 percent of the EU's 120,000 diagnosed cases of AIDS. The report concluded that eliminating the causes of "premature mortality" would be the only way of continuing current trends of increasing life expectancy. "Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Persons" Journal of the American Medical Association (07/12/95) Vol. 274, No. 2, P. 143; Antonucci, Giorgio; Girardi, Enrico; Raviglione, Mario C. et al. Antonucci et al. conducted a multicenter cohort study in Italy to evaluate factors predictive of active tuberculosis (TB). In this article, they analyze how demographic, clinical, and laboratory characteristics influence the risk of TB in HIV-infected persons. They found that being tuberculin-positive, anergic, or having a CD4 lymphocyte count either less than 20 or between 20 and 35 were indicators significantly associated with the risk of TB. In the three groups of patients with different levels of skin responsiveness, the incidence of TB increased as the level of CD lymphocytes decreased. Such factors as age, sex, place of residence, HIV transmission category, and antiretroviral therapy were not associated with an increased risk of the disease. By considering both skin test reactivity and CD4 lymphocyte count, HIV-infected patients' risk of TB can be more precisely measured. The researchers propose that regular skin tests in tuberculin-negative nonanergic individuals can be useful in identifying those who are at high risk for active disease. "...And Says Blood Claims Are 'Simplistic'" Nature (07/06/95) Vol. 376, No. 6535, P. 5; Butler, Declan France's secretary of state for research recently expressed concerns about the handling of the country's contaminated-blood scandal. In the early 1980s, hundreds of hemophiliacs and other transfusion recipients became infected with HIV through the use of tainted blood products. Elisabeth Dufourcq described the current version of the events as "oversimplified" and "completely reductionist." Dufourcq's comments coincided with the first battles over an explanation alleging that officials deliberately ignored proof that French products were contaminated to avoid importing safer substitutes, and delayed introduction of routine HIV screening until a French test was available. Dufourcq said the affair was a "collective error," in which much of the scientific and medical community must share the blame for not recognizing the threat of AIDS earlier. She added that the incident showed the need to educate non-scientists "in the rudiments of statistics needed to exercise intelligent citizenship."