Date: Wed, 16 Oct 1996 09:51:51 -0400 From: "Vaux, Lenore" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary, 10/16/96 AIDS Daily Summary October 16, 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 ****************************************************** "State Court Expands Human Rights Law" "Dual Strategy to Fight Both TB and AIDS" "Across the USA: New Jersey" "PM's Brother May Testify at Krever Blood Inquiry" "Teen-Agers Find Drugs Easy to Obtain and Warnings Easy to Ignore" "Brazil Votes to Give AIDS Patient Free Drugs" "Quick Action Can Curb Drug-Resistant TB" "BioChem Pharma Says Emory Patent Claims Invalid" "Following the Inner Light" "Bringing Medicine Home" ****************************************************** "State Court Expands Human Rights Law" New York Times (10/16/96) P. B5; Dao, James The New York State Court of Appeals announced a decision Tuesday that significantly extends the protection of people with HIV from discrimination by doctors and dentists. The court ruled that the state's Human Rights Law, which prohibits discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, should be interpreted to cover the offices of doctors and dentists, as well as any place that provides "conveniences and services to the public." The court was considering two cases in which people charged that they had been denied dental services because they had tested positive for HIV or had been exposed to the virus. "Dual Strategy to Fight Both TB and AIDS" Wall Street Journal (10/16/96) P. A21; Sbarbaro, John A combined strategy is needed to fight the spread of HIV and tuberculosis (TB), contends Dr. John Sbarbaro, Medical Adviser to the Global TB Education Fund, in a letter to the editor in the Wall Street Journal. He notes that TB causes the most AIDS-related deaths worldwide, and that treating AIDS patients effectively for TB could prevent nearly 4 million TB cases and increase the lives of people with HIV by an average of two years. Without such precautions, Sbarbaro says, people infected with HIV and TB will die earlier than necessary, and TB will continue to spread to the general population. "Across the USA: New Jersey" USA Today (10/16/96) P. 9A A survey of 625 New Jerseyans found that 92 percent support government aid for people who have a health problem for which they are not responsible, such as those who contract HIV through blood transfusions. Only 53 percent of those polled thought that people who contracted HIV through unsafe sex should be eligible for government aid, however. "PM's Brother May Testify at Krever Blood Inquiry" Toronto Globe and Mail (10/15/96) P. A1; McIlroy, Anne Because of his connection to the leader of Canada's commission of inquiry into the country's tainted-blood tragedy, the brother of Prime Minister Jean Chretien is expected to be called in an inquiry hearing this week. Michel Chretien, a scientist at the Clinical Institute of Montreal, served with Justice Horace Krever as co-chairman of the Royal Society of Canada report on AIDS in 1988. That report made recommendations on preventing the spread of HIV in Canada and treating those who were infected. The Ontario government is expected to call Chretien to testify at the hearings, which are being held to allow those parties cited for blame in the tragedy to defend themselves. Ontario is expected to argue that the 1988 report shows that the committee did not realize the implications of the tainted-blood incidents, and that, therefore, the provincial and federal governments cannot be blamed for not taking action. "Teen-Agers Find Drugs Easy to Obtain and Warnings Easy to Ignore" New York Times (10/10/96); Wren, Christopher S. The increase in marijuana use among teen-agers, reported in a recent government study, was confirmed by interviews with 30 teens in New York and Massachusetts. Teenagers from working-class and suburban neighborhoods across the country said that marijuana is as easily obtained as beer or cigarettes. The interviews found that marijuana is the most popular drug among teenagers, and that cocaine and heroin use are not nearly as prevalent. The teens said anti-drug campaigns were ineffective, adding that parents, teachers, and other adults have little impact on their choice to use drugs. Moreover, they said they did not start using marijuana because of peer pressure, but because it seemed fun and offered some escape. "Brazil Votes to Give AIDS Patient Free Drugs" Reuters (10/15/96) Legislation that would provide free drugs to AIDS patients was approved by Brazil's Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, congressional officials said. "This bill will save the lives of people who are HIV-positive and cannot afford the cocktail of drugs," noted Green party deputy Fernando Gabeira, the author of the bill. The measure--already approved in the Senate--will be sent to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso for final approval. It is not yet known, said Gabeira, how much the government will have to spend to fulfill the terms of the new law. "Quick Action Can Curb Drug-Resistant TB" Reuters (10/15/96) Drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB) can be spread in hospitals and is often deadly, but early diagnosis and proper treatment can extend the lives of patients, according to researchers from the New York City Department of Public Health. A review of 267 TB cases over a 43-month period found that 86 percent of patients also were infected with HIV, that 70 percent of the TB infections were likely acquired in hospitals, and that 83 percent of the patients died during the study period. The researchers concluded that, with quick diagnosis and proper treatment, patients with damaged immune systems and drug-resistant TB lived up to a year longer. The study appears in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, with a related study that found that 27 percent of 229 TB patients in New York City in 1991 died within one year. "BioChem Pharma Says Emory Patent Claims Invalid" Business Wire (10/15/96) BioChem Pharma, the maker of 3TCr (lamivudine), filed a response on Tuesday to a patent infringement lawsuit brought by Emory University. Francesco Bellini, CEO of BioChem, says the company welcomes the chance to settle the patent issue and "finally put to rest Emory University's baseless claims to 3TCr." BioChem Pharma currently receives royalties on the AIDS drug from Glaxo Wellcome under a licensing agreement that has permitted Glaxo to manufacture and sell the drug since 1995. "Following the Inner Light" Science News (10/05/96) Vol. 150, No. 14, P. 220; Travis, John Frustrated with the methods available to track how infection spreads in the body, Stanford University virologist Christopher H. Contag developed a better way, using bioluminescence. Luciferase, an enzyme that occurs naturally in fireflies and certain glowing bacteria, has long been used by scientists. Contag proposed inoculating live animals with bioluminescent micoorganisms to observe their action in the body from outside. The researchers experimented by inoculating mice with salmonella that had been engineered with the luciferase gene. The weakest strain of salmonella was quickly eliminated by the mouse, while the strongest strain spread rapidly through the body's tissues. The researchers suggest that the new technique will be useful in tracking infections, including HIV, and monitoring how effective various drugs are at fighting infection. Genetically engineered mice have been developed that can simulate HIV infection, and with further research, SIV infections in primates might be similarly studied. "Bringing Medicine Home" Consumer Reports (10/96) Vol. 61, No. 10, P. 47 HIV tests have joined the ranks of medical tests that can be performed at home, including tests for pregnancy, ovulation, cholesterol, blood pressure, and blood sugar. About $1 billion is now spent by Americans on such products, which offer privacy and are usually less expensive than a professional test. A survey by the government found that, while only 20 percent of people at increased risk for HIV said they planned to seek a professional HIV test within a year, 42 percent said they would likely use a home HIV test. Because a positive HIV test result can be traumatic, the companies selling home HIV tests only provide results over the phone. The consumer, identified by a confidential code number, hears a recorded message if the test result is negative and is connected to a counselor if the test is positive.