Date: Mon, 9 Sep 1996 10:35:58 -0400 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 09/09/96 AIDS Daily Summary September 9, 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 ****************************************************** "Across the USA: Washington" "Embassy Row: AIDS in Nepal" "Cyclists' Destination: AIDS-Free World" "Ingenuity Applied to Condom Package" "AIDS on Rise in Americans Over 50, Officials Warn" "Worldwise: Wish You Were Here" "Terminally Ill Rights in Dispute" "Greek AIDS Patients Receive New Treatment" "Ebola Bar Creates Monkey Shortage" "Health Ministry to Set up Medical-Safety Unit" ****************************************************** "Across the USA: Washington" USA Today (09/09/96) P. 13A Washington state's Gov. Lowry will meet today with Donna Shalala, secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, to discuss ways to fund the state's program for treating people with HIV and AIDS. The program is expected to face a $5 million shortfall. "Embassy Row: AIDS in Nepal" Washington Times (09/09/96) P. A2; Morrison, James The United States is providing Nepal with $30 million to help curb the spread of AIDS. The money will be used to improve maternal and child health care facilities and to provide condoms and family planning counseling. About 300 people in Nepal have AIDS and an estimated 10,000 are infected with HIV. "Cyclists' Destination: AIDS-Free World" USA Today (09/09/96) P. 1A; Eisler, Peter More than 3,000 people participated in the 300-mile Boston-to-New York AIDS from Thursday to Sunday, raising a total of $6.2 million to help people with AIDS. Many people take part in memory of a loved one who died of AIDS, while other riders are HIV-positive themselves. Each rider must raise a minimum of $1,500 to participate. The New England ride is the largest of the five summer rides across the country. "Ingenuity Applied to Condom Package" New York Times (09/09/96) P. D2 A New York man has received a patent for a condom package that is designed to be worn on the skin, preparing owners for safe sex at any time. The package has an adhesive on one side. The glue can be either applied directly to the wrapper or applied to both sides of a foam layer that is pressed to the package. "AIDS on Rise in Americans Over 50, Officials Warn" Miami Herald (09/06/96) P. 3B; Rafinski, Karen The rate of AIDS among U.S. residents aged 50 and over increased 11 percent from 1993 to 1994, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Among people aged 20 and younger, the increase was 2 percent. In Florida's Broward County, the number of AIDS patients over 50 has more than doubled in the last two years. Health workers suspect that many older people with AIDS are not diagnosed because doctors mistake the symptoms for signs of aging or senility. Older people do not think they can be at risk for HIV, and therefore often forgo testing and safe sex practices. They are also less likely to use condoms because they are unconcerned with birth control. The thinning of tissues with age, however, makes older people more vulnerable to infection. "Worldwise: Wish You Were Here" Washington Post (09/08/96) P. E3; Sottili, Carol At the Whitman-Walker Clinic's Austin Center for Health and Living in Washington, D.C., patients with HIV and AIDS are learning about the world through postcards sent by travelers. About 70 cards have been received since the project got underway last month. The cards are read aloud each morning and the locations are marked on a world map. Postcards can be sent to the center at 1407 S St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20009. "Terminally Ill Rights in Dispute" United Press International (09/06/96) Legislation being considered by the Michigan state senate--seeking to clarify the rights of terminally ill patients--has been criticized as a way to ban assisted suicide. The bill would require doctors to inform patients with less than six months to live about their rights to treatment, including pain management. It also would clear doctors of civil, criminal, or administrative penalties if they prescribed narcotics and other controlled substances to help a patient deal with pain. "Greek AIDS Patients Receive New Treatment" Xinhua News Agency (09/08/96) A combination of AIDS drugs is being used to successfully treat more than 100 patients in Greece. The drugs have lowered the level of HIV in the patients' blood to undetectable levels. The combination therapies being used include one of the three protease inhibitors--saquinavir, ritonavir, and indinavir--and older AIDS drugs like AZT, ddC, 3TC, and D4T. The patients, who receive the drugs free of charge, have renewed hope of living longer lives with HIV. "Ebola Bar Creates Monkey Shortage" Nature (08/29/96) Vol. 382, No. 6594, P. 744; Nathan, Richard Japanese research on HIV vaccines and gene therapy is suffering due to a shortage of lab monkeys, scientists claim. Researchers say the shortage is due to a 1990 decision by Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways to stop importing certain species of monkeys, fearing they could carry Ebola. The ban on importing rhesus, cynomolgus, and African green monkeys from Africa and South-East Asia for biomedical research was implemented following international concerns about the spread of Ebola. After Korean Airlines joined the ban, only one foreign airline was left to ship the monkeys to Japan, and the cost of research monkeys has tripled in the past five years as a result. Biomedical researchers have requested that the Japanese government review the breeding and distribution of research monkeys to allay safety concerns and improve supply. "Health Ministry to Set up Medical-Safety Unit" Nikkei Weekly (08/26/96) Vol. 34, No. 1737, P. 2 To help restore the public's trust in Japan's Ministry of Health and Welfare, the agency is planning to replace its Pharmaceutical Affairs Bureau with a bureau to be solely concerned with the safety of medicines and drugs. To raise the level of drug testing, the number of official inspectors would be increased from around 60 to more than 200 by the end of fiscal 1999. The Pharmaceutical Affairs bureau has been criticized for its conflicting roles of drug regulator and advocate to the pharmaceutical industry.