Date: Thu, 19 Dec 96 09:43:03 EST From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 12/19/96 AIDS Daily Summary December 19, 1996 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "Entertainer, Denied Job Because He Had H.I.V., Settles Case" "Charities Debate Strategy of a Limited Time Span for Gifts" "Blood Center Provided HIV-Tainted Blood" "In N.J., People With AIDS Are Offered Free Legal Help" "Tainted-Blood Inquiry Ends After Three Years" "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--Mortality Rises [Among Infants]" "Science & Health Bulletin: Zambia--AIDS Call For [Cooperation in AIDS Battle]" "Lymph Node Cytokine Activity in HIV-1 Infection Described" "HIV Poised to Ravage Asia" "I'm OK, You're Not" ****************************************************** "Entertainer, Denied Job Because He Had H.I.V., Settles Case" New York Times (12/19/96) P. A15 A man who was hired to entertain for a cruise line, but was rejected after he tested positive for HIV, will receive a $90,000 settlement in the case. A condition of the settlement also prevents the employer from screening for the virus. The suit, filed by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, argued that the Americans with Disabilities Act bars discrimination based on a disability. Dolphin Cruise Line and American Entertainment Productions, a company that recruits entertainers, claimed, however, that the worker was a threat to the ship's passengers and crew because he would be in close contact with them. A Federal District Court ruled that the defendants did not show that "the health risk posed in the particular work environment is significant." "Charities Debate Strategy of a Limited Time Span for Gifts" New York Times (12/19/96) P. B12; Tollerson, Ernest Many U.S. charities, including New York's Aaron Diamond Foundation, plan from the beginning to reduce their assets each year for a scheduled number of years. This strategy has, in turn, spurred public debate about the most effective use of charitable spending. The Aaron Diamond Foundation will expire at the end of this year, keeping with its plan to spend its more than $200 million within 10 years on projects that include a leading AIDS research center. The foundation, established by real estate developer Aaron Diamond and his wife Irene, was created with "a feeling if we stuck with our priorities and really hit hard with money, we would probably be able to make a difference," Irene said. The Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center was created with a $25 million investment from the foundation. However, if a more conservative amount had been invested, such as $6.5 million to $7 million annually, the center's leading research would have been delayed while it searched for other sources of support. "Blood Center Provided HIV-Tainted Blood" Washington Times (12/19/96) P. A9 A Milwaukee blood center admitted Wednesday that it provided HIV-tainted blood for a transfusion, and it blamed a blood donor for not revealing his high-risk behavior. The center called the failure of its screening process a "terrible tragedy." "In N.J., People With AIDS Are Offered Free Legal Help" Philadelphia Inquirer (12/19/96) P. B5; Lowe, Herbert For people with HIV and AIDS who live in four South New Jersey counties, free legal services will be provided by the South Jersey HIV Law Project, a new partnership of three advocacy groups. "We finally will have dedicated services in New Jersey," said Ronda B. Goldfein, a staff attorney for the AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania. The organization currently offers free legal service to 1,500 Philadelphia clients with AIDS or HIV each year. A grant for the new project will expire on April 1, but the group hopes to develop a network of lawyers in the area to provide continued legal services. "Tainted-Blood Inquiry Ends After Three Years" Toronto Globe and Mail (12/18/96) P. A12; McIlroy, Anne The public hearings in Canada's inquiry into the country's tainted-blood tragedy ended Tuesday after three years. Many of the final submissions to the inquiry criticized the Canadian Red Cross Society, which has had nearly complete authority over the blood system since 1939. Speakers also questioned the potential role of the organization in the new blood system being designed by the government. Justice Horace Krever's report on the inquiry is due April 30. "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--Mortality Rises [Among Infants]" PANA Wire Service (12/18/96) The infant mortality rate in Zimbabwe is expected to increase by five times by the year 2005, while population growth is expected to drop by about 1.5 percent due to the spread of AIDS. A new report from the Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council attributed the dramatic increase in infant mortality to HIV infections. A total of 150,000 orphans are expected in the country by the year 2000. The fertility rate is also expected to decline as a result of AIDS. "Science & Health Bulletin: Zambia--AIDS Call For [Cooperation in AIDS Battle]" PANA Wire Service (12/18/96); Mulenga, Mildred A coordinated approach to fighting AIDS is needed in Zambia, the country's deputy health minister Nkandu Luo recently announced. At a youth conference on peer education training, Luo said anti-AIDS efforts must include skills training and campaigns to fight poverty. "Even if people have [the] best information on AIDS, but they don't have food to eat or they are not involved in anything to bring them income, then we are not going to succeed in our efforts to prevent AIDS," she said. "Lymph Node Cytokine Activity in HIV-1 Infection Described" Reuters (12/18/96) The lymph nodes are a site of immune activity during very early HIV-1 infection, researchers at Stanford University report in the journal AIDS. Clive M. Gray and colleagues evaluated the B- and T-cell phenotypes found in the lymph nodes of HIV-positive patients and found that these cells were prevalent in the lymph nodes. Gray suggested that the findings "underscore the role of B cells as antigen-presenting and their involvement in initiating primary immune responses to HIV-1." "HIV Poised to Ravage Asia" Journal of the American Medical Association (12/11/96) Vol. 276, No. 22, P. 1790 HIV is spreading at a rapid rate in Asia, and the continent could have up to 10 million HIV cases by 2000, the World Health Organization reports. If the number of infections in India reaches the 5 million expected by then, it would have the highest HIV incidence of any country worldwide. The WHO estimates that around the world some 25.5 million adults and 2.4 million children are infected. Among them, 19 million are in sub-Saharan Africa, 5 million are in South and Southeast Asia, and 1.6 million are in Latin America. The number of infections in Africa is expected to peak by the end of this year, though WHO officials note that high-risk sexual behavior and a population larger than Africa's will fuel the epidemic in Asia. "I'm OK, You're Not" U.S. News & World Report (12/16/96) Vol. 121, No. 24, P. 24; Whitman, David Americans widely believe that while their own lives and communities are successful, the rest of the country is failing. This view that "we" are doing well, while "they" are not is "the most important and least comprehended aspect of public opinion," claims U.S. News & World Report pollster Ed Goeas. Such a perception causes voters to exaggerate national problems while overlooking local ones, creating a complacent society. In turn, this helps to explain why people continue to participate in risky behaviors like unsafe sex, smoking, and alcohol use despite pervasive warnings. Basketball star Earvin "Magic" Johnson writes in his autobiography, for example, that "when it came to denial, I was an expert. The information I needed to protect myself [from HIV] had been all around me. But I didn't pay attention. I didn't think it could happen to me." Furthermore, David McKirnan, a psychologist at the University of Illinois-Chicago, notes that, although AIDS awareness is high among gay men, high-risk behavior remains prevalent, especially among young gay men and minorities.