Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 15:46:37 -0400 From: "Sarah Araghi" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 5/7/96 AIDS Daily Summary May 7, 1996 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any other organization. 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 ************************************************************ "Hormone Has Role in Simian AIDS" "Merck's Marketing of an AIDS Drug Draws Fire" "Roche AIDS Treatment Is Shown to Prolong Life" "Too Much for AIDS?" "Across the USA: Tennessee" "New Facility to Cut Use of U.S. Blood" "Obituary: Gina Salgado, 17, Warned Students About AIDS Peril" "WHYY Pulls No Punches in AIDS Show" "Addressing AIDS at Work" "Take the Money and Shun" ************************************************************ "Hormone Has Role in Simian AIDS" New York Times (05/07/96) P. C3; Kolata, Gina The sex hormone progesterone, which is especially prevalent in the second half of the menstrual cycle, has been shown to make female monkeys much more vulnerable to SIV, the monkey version of HIV. Preston A. Marx and others at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development report that 14 of 18 monkeys given the hormone became infected with SIV, compared to just one of 10 monkeys that did not receive the hormone. The results were reported Monday at a meeting of the American Clinical Investigation and the American Federation for Clinical Research. The findings are not necessarily applicable to humans, but experts say the results support earlier theories linking hormone levels and susceptibility. Two contraceptives, the implant Norplant, and Depo Provera, which is injected, contain progesterone, but experts say the study does not merit a woman changing her method of birth control. Related Stories: Washington Post (05/07) P. A6; Baltimore Sun (05/07) P. 4A "Merck's Marketing of an AIDS Drug Draws Fire" Wall Street Journal (05/07/96) P. B1; Tanouye, Elyse; Waldholz, Michael Merck & Co.'s distribution of its new AIDS drug Crixivan through Stadtlanders Pharmacy, a mail-order operation, has angered both activists and pharmacists. Activists are calling for protests against Merck and Stadtlanders for providing the drug in limited quantities and at a 37 percent higher cost. A pharmacy group is lobbying federal regulators and Congress to prevent drug companies from restricting distribution of their products, keeping pharmacies from making profits on the drugs. Merck did not expect the controversy, having worked with activists and offering Crixivan at a lower cost than the industry expected. The company said it restricted access to the drug because of limited supply and because once a patient starts taking Crixivan, it is dangerous for them to stop. Crixivan, one of three protease inhibitors to be approved, is considered better than its competitors, and is cheaper, so demand for the drug is especially high. "Roche AIDS Treatment Is Shown to Prolong Life" Wall Street Journal (05/07/96) P. B5 Roche Holding announced that study participants who took its new protease inhibitor Invirase in combination with ddC lived longer and had fewer life-threatening health problems than patients who took either of the two drugs alone. The study of 978 patients further demonstrates the success of the new protease inhibitors when used with existing drugs. "Too Much for AIDS?" Journal of Commerce (05/07/96) P. 7A; Greenberg, Daniel S. In the Journal of Commerce, Daniel S Greenberg, editor of Science & Government Report, examines federal funding for AIDS and the public's support of the battle against the disease. On a per-patient basis, Greenberg notes that AIDS research receives more funding than heart disease or cancer, partly due to active lobbying by groups affected by AIDS, including those in the performing arts, fashion, and professional sports. While AIDS has most heavily impacted homosexuals and injection drug users in the United States, the author points out that the heterosexual population is also vulnerable to the disease, especially because heterosexual transmission is common in Asia and Africa. Greenberg concludes that basic research is essential to fight multiple diseases and that funding for AIDS research should be maintained. "Across the USA: Tennessee" USA Today (05/07/96) P. 8A Since 1991, the number of HIV-infected inmates in Tennessee prisons has increased from 28 to 120. Wardens cited unprotected sex between inmates as an explanation for the spread. "New Facility to Cut Use of U.S. Blood" Toronto Globe and Mail (05/06/96) P. A5; Picard, Andre The Canadian Red Cross is opening a new plasma collection facility in Thunder Bay, Ontario, with hopes that it will be able to reduce the amount of blood products imported from the United States. Donors will have their blood extracted, broken down into two major components, and red cells will be returned to the donor as plasma is collected. With the center, Canada could be self-sufficient in plasma by the end of 1998. The country hopes to become the first nation that has a wholly volunteer plasmapheresis program. "Obituary: Gina Salgado, 17, Warned Students About AIDS Peril" Chicago Tribune (05/06/96) P. 1-10; Salemy, Shirley Gina Salgado, who was infected with HIV as an infant through a blood transfusion and who warned high school and college students about AIDS, died Saturday at the age of 17. Miss Salgado was diagnosed with AIDS about 11 years ago and was forced to quit high school as a sophomore. She continued to educate her peers about the disease, however, even after doctors referred her to hospice care a year ago. Miss Salgado tried to warn other students that AIDS does not discriminate and that personal responsibility is the only way to protect oneself. "WHYY Pulls No Punches in AIDS Show" Philadelphia Inquirer (05/07/96) P. F9; Storm, Jonathan Mothers March, a documentary about activist mothers of AIDS patients in the Philadelphia area, reflects the discrimination that AIDS patients experience and emphasizes the fact that anyone can contract HIV, according to television critic Jonathan Storm. Storm notes that the documentary is a powerful presentation of four women who used their illness as a learning experience and a stage from which to launch themselves into new horizons. "Addressing AIDS at Work" Business Insurance (04/29/96) Vol. 30, No. 18, P. 14; Roberts, Sally As AIDS continues to take its toll on those between the ages of 25 and 44, AIDS-related employment discrimination is on the rise. At least one worker is infected at one in 10 of the companies with less than 500 employees and at two-thirds of the companies with more than 2,500 employees. One in seven people in the workforce and one in 12 managers say they know little to nothing about AIDS, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study. The survey found that many people wrongly believe that HIV can be transmitted through casual contact, bathrooms, and mosquitoes. To combat these and potential legal problems, Angie Hammock, of the CDC's Business and Labor Respond to AIDS programs, suggests using an education and training program for employers. The program includes a written company policy and training on HIV and AIDS issues, such as benefits for infected employees, medical information about HIV transmission, first aid and infection control practices, preventing discrimination, and maintaining confidentiality. Under OSHA regulations, employers with employees who could "reasonably anticipate" contact with blood or bodily fluids must have written exposure control plans and provide personal protective equipment. Moreover, employers must also comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act, which requires employers to make "reasonable accommodations" for HIV-infected workers. "Take the Money and Shun" POZ (04/96) No. 13, P. 27 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention spent more than a year trying to give a $1 million grant to Texas' education agency. The grant, which would fund HIV prevention education in the state's public schools, was rejected for fear that the CDC would dictate how schools teach sex education. The grant was suspended in 1994 and almost rejected again in 1995, but eventually, the CDC convinced education head Mike Moses to accept the money. Although the terms of the agreement did require some changes in Texas' sex education program, CDC spokeswoman Michelle Bonds notes that the grant could be interpreted to permit the state's abstinence-based, locally controlled sex education curriculum. In New York City, meanwhile, School Superintendent Rudy Crew disappointed HIV-education advocates when he supported a tamer version of the city's current HIV curriculum, including eliminating a demonstration of the proper way to use a condom.