Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 11/27/96

From: "Flynn Mclean" <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 27 Nov 1996 10:10:41 -0500

AIDS Daily Summary
                     November 27, 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

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"Market Place: Some Analysts See a Silver Lining to Chiron's
Cloud"
"Japan May Approve the Pill, but Women May Not"
"Nationline: AIDS and Abstinence"
"Group Wants HIV Ruling Overturned"
"Public Forum: Facts of Domestic Partner Benefits"
"Thailand Visit Caps Clinton Tour"
"Treat Patients on Individual Basis"
"Ukraine Mulls HIV-Positive Prisons"
"Resistance to HIV-1 Infection Among Persistently Seronegative
Prostitutes in Nairobi, Kenya"
"Study: Depression Affects AIDS Survival"
"Correction to November 22, 1996, MMWR and CDC AIDS Daily
Summary"
******************************************************

"Market Place: Some Analysts See a Silver Lining to Chiron's
Cloud"
New York Times (11/27/96) P. D6; Fisher, Lawrence M.
     Despite Chiron's failed clinical trial of a new herpes
vaccine, some analysts say the biotechnology company's shares
remain attractive because the company is so diverse.  The failure
of one product is not as serious a concern at Chiron because it
has so many other candidates in development.  However, the failed
herpes vaccine will delay tests of a vaccine for CMV retinitis, a
virus that causes blindness in AIDS patients, because it is based
on the same technology.  Vaccines for hepatitis C and HIV, which
also used the same approach, will be tested as planned.

"Japan May Approve the Pill, but Women May Not"
New York Times (11/27/96) P. A1; WuDunn, Sheryl
     Although Japan's legal ban of the birth control pill may be
lifted as early as next spring, many Japanese women say they will
not use it.  Condoms are the most popular form of birth control,
followed by withdrawal, and abortions are easily available when
these methods fail.  The government is concerned that the pill
would reduce the birth rate even lower than the current rate of
1.4 children per woman, and that the rate of HIV infection would
increase.  Studies have shown, however, that HIV incidence does
not increase among those who use the pill for contraception.

"Nationline: AIDS and Abstinence"
USA Today (11/27/96) P. 3A; Bacon, John
     Federal funds will be denied to Idaho school districts
that teach any HIV prevention methods besides sexual abstinence,
Idaho Schools Superintendent Anne Fox announced.  Fox said the
decision is based on public demand, and denied conceding to
fundamental religious interests opposed to modern sex education.
The policy may be the most restrictive approach to AIDS education
in any state, an official at the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention said.

"Group Wants HIV Ruling Overturned"
Toronto Globe and Mail (11/26/96) P. A3; Downey, Donn
     Members of the Canadian AIDS Society are seeking to keep
undisclosed the names of 13 HIV-positive men, claiming their
identification would defeat the purpose of Ontario's Health
Protection and Promotion Act and discourage others from seeking
voluntary HIV tests.  Madam Justice Janet Wilson of the Ontario
Court's General Division ruled in 1995 that the names should be
revealed in the public interest.  Two types of anonymous HIV
tests
are allowed in Ontario--those provided by clinics and by family
doctors who do not have to identify the subject.  The 13 men, who
gave blood between December 1984 and September 1985, did not
consent to HIV tests because they were told at the time that the
test did not exist.  Wilson ruled that, by revealing the names of
the 13 men, the infringement on their rights would be "minimal,"
and the health of their partners could be protected.

"Public Forum: Facts of Domestic Partner Benefits"
Boston Globe (11/26/96) P. D4; Sherman, Andrew D.
     While domestic partners are increasingly included in
employee health insurance plans and benefit programs, some
businesses fear higher costs due to large numbers of AIDS
patients and other factors.  However, the rate of HIV infection
and AIDS among those enrolling in such plans is small, and the
cost is not significant when compared to other, more common
illnesses.  The average lifetime cost of treating an AIDS patient
is about $150,000, compared to $500,000 over a few months to
treat a premature baby.  Cancer treatment can range from $30,000
to $100,000 over a lifetime.  Less than 2 percent of the
employees offered domestic partner benefits have enrolled, and
only a small minority of this group are same sex male couples.

"Thailand Visit Caps Clinton Tour"
USA Today (11/27/96) P. 4A; Nichols, Bill
     President Clinton ended his 10-day tour of Asia in Bangkok
on Tuesday, and told his Thai audience that the U.S. commitment
to the Asian Pacific is "stronger than ever."  He also brought
attention to two epidemics in the region: AIDS and drug use.
"These forces of destruction defy traditional defenses, just as
traditional barriers can no longer keep out ideas, information,
and truth," Clinton said.

"Treat Patients on Individual Basis"
USA Today (11/27/96) P. 13A; Benjamin, Ken
     In response to an editorial that appeared in USA Today
approving of new liver transplant policies, Ken Benjamin, of the
May Day Hepatitis Action Committee, objects to the policies on
medical and ethical grounds.  In a letter to the editor, Benjamin
says the policy, established by the United Network for Organ
Sharing, is unfair because it does not consider the survival
prospects of each individual.  He points out that it would be
unsound to move a gay man down the transplant list based on the
fact that gay men are more likely to have AIDS, and thus not
survive the transplant.

"Ukraine Mulls HIV-Positive Prisons"
United Press International (11/26/96); Coumarianos, Philippe
     Hoping to stop the spread of HIV in the prison system,
Ukraine officials have proposed isolating HIV-infected prisoners
in separate facilities.  HIV has spread rapidly among inmates
over the past two years, due to rape, homosexuality, and
intravenous drug use.  Officials say about 2,100 prisoners are
infected, some 70 percent of whom are male.  If approved by the
government, HIV-positive prisoners would be moved to two existing
jails which would be staffed by doctors and nurses trained in HIV
care.

"Resistance to HIV-1 Infection Among Persistently Seronegative
Prostitutes in Nairobi, Kenya"
Lancet (11/16/96) Vol. 348, No. 9038, P. 1347; Fowke, Keith R.;
Nagelkerke, Nico J.D.; Kimani, Joshua; et al.
     Canadian and Kenyan researchers studied HIV-1 resistance
among prostitutes in Nairobi, Kenya, to determine if some
individuals in a highly exposed group would be resistant to HIV-1
infection.  The authors found that, among 424 prostitutes who
tested negative for HIV-1 in 1985, 239 seroconverted by 1994.
Forty-three of the women remained HIV-1 negative after three or
more years.  The researchers conclude that the incidence of HIV-1
seroconversion decreased with increasing duration of exposure,
suggesting that there is heterogeneity in HIV-1 susceptibility or
acquired protection from HIV-1.  They conclude that a small
percentage of highly exposed individuals are resistant to HIV-1
and that this resistance may be provided by natural immunity.

"Study: Depression Affects AIDS Survival"
American Medical News (11/18/96) Vol. 39, No. 43, P. 24
     A new study of HIV-positive gay and bisexual men suggests
that chronic depression is linked to shorter survival.
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco report
that, out of 405 men, those who reported being depressed
throughout the eight-year study period were two-thirds more
likely to die than those who were never significantly depressed.
Study author Tracy Mayne explained, "The more frequently a person
is depressed, the higher their risk of dying from AIDS.  If you
treat the depression, the risk goes down."  The findings were
reported in the Oct. 28 issue of the Archives of Internal
Medicine.

"Correction to November 22, 1996, MMWR and CDC AIDS Daily
Summary"
(11/27/96) CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse
     The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report and the AIDS Daily
Summary dated Friday, November 22, 1996, inadvertently listed an
incorrect telephone number for the CDC National AIDS Hotline. 
Please disregard that number.  The correct telephone numbers for
the National AIDS Hotline are (800) 342-2437, (800) 344-7432
(Spanish), and (800) 243-7889 (TTY/TDD).

The AIDS Daily Summary will not publish on November 28 and 29 in
observance of the Thanksgiving holiday.  Publication will resume
on Monday, December 2.