Date: Mon, 06 Jan 97 09:25:19 EST From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 01/06/97 AIDS Daily Summary January 6, 1997 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 ****************************************************** "China Toughens Rules After Tainted Blood Sale" "Gay Support for Clinton Less Fervent" "Immune to Reason" "Montreal AIDS Patient Wins $7 Million Lottery" "Mixing It Up" "Assisted Suicide Goes to Top Court" "Fourth HIV-Infected Baby Found in Hong Kong" "Brazil to Begin AIDS Education With 4-Year-Olds" "The Disease Detective" "Cheese and Crackers" ****************************************************** "China Toughens Rules After Tainted Blood Sale" New York Times (01/06/97) P. A11 In response to the sale of HIV-tainted blood serum in China a few months ago, the government has issued new rules on the production and distribution of blood products and set harsh punishments for violators. Last April, tainted-blood products that had been manufactured and sold in China were discovered, and the government acknowledged in October that some samples of a blood product were HIV-infected. "Gay Support for Clinton Less Fervent" Washington Post (01/06/97) P. B1; Struck, Doug While the gay community continues to support President Clinton, some members say they are not as enthusiastic about his inauguration this year as they were four years ago. Clinton has been criticized for conceding to conservative pressures in his first term, as well as for disappointing the homosexual community on issues like gays in the military and same-sex marriage. At the same time, however, the President is credited for supporting AIDS research and funding, lifting the ban on security clearances for gays, and supporting anti-discrimination measures for homosexuals. "Immune to Reason" New York Times (01/06/97) P. A17; Lewis, Anthony The public's cynicism toward government is sometimes justifiable, claims New York Times columnist Anthony Lewis, who cites as an example the debate over the medical use of marijuana. Voters in California and Arizona approved medical marijuana laws, but the Clinton administration has responded with a hard line against the initiatives. White House drug chief Gen. Barry R. McCaffrey has said that marijuana has no proven benefit against pain. Lewis notes that many doctors and patients claim that the drug helps to alleviate nausea experienced by cancer patients and helps control vomiting in AIDS patients. The federal government's response to the laws shows that it will continue to prevent testing of the drug's medical benefit, Lewis concludes. "Montreal AIDS Patient Wins $7 Million Lottery" New York Times (01/05/97) P. 7 A Montreal woman with AIDS, who lives in a hospice and has not worked for five years, has won $7.3 million in the lottery. Antoinette Distillio won the money in a Quebec lottery Wednesday night, and says she wants to buy a car and share the winnings with her friends, her family, and an unspecified AIDS foundation. "Mixing It Up" Investor's Business Daily (01/06/97) P. A4; Banks, Laura B. Agouron Pharmaceuticals has high hopes that its first drug, a protease inhibitor called Viracept, will become a valuable member of the HIV arsenal. The company filed for FDA approval of the drug the last week, seeking an "accelerated review." If approved, Viracept could become available by the second quarter of 1997, and could exceed $250 million in annual sales within three years, analysts say. The drug, developed in collaboration with the pharmaceutical unit of Japan Tobacco, reportedly causes no severe side effects, unlike other protease inhibitors. "Assisted Suicide Goes to Top Court" Washington Times (01/06/97) P. A1; Murray, Frank J. The Supreme Court will consider the issue of assisted suicide on Wednesday, and a federal appellate ruling which said that the 14th Amendment protects a dying person's right to medical help in ending their life. Unless the ruling is overturned, bans in 46 states on physician-assisted suicide will be unenforceable. Many analysts predict that the high court will allow states to continue banning the practice, but the decision will not end the debate. Other cases, including an Oregon initiative approved by voters but still pending Supreme Court action, will determine if states may allow assisted suicide. "Fourth HIV-Infected Baby Found in Hong Kong" Xinhua News Agency (01/05/97) The number of HIV-positive women in Hong Kong is increasing, evidenced by the discovery that a fourth baby has been found infected with HIV, an AIDS official reported. Lau Yu-lung, a member of the Advisory Council on AIDS, said he expects to see more HIV-infected infants as the difference between the number of infected men and women in Hong Kong is decreasing. Statistics show that 738 people in Hong Kong are HIV infected, 86 of whom are female. "Brazil to Begin AIDS Education With 4-Year-Olds" Reuters (01/03/97) Brazil's new campaign against AIDS will reach children as young as age four, officials said Friday. Furthermore, at-risk groups, including inmates, prostitutes, and Native Americans, will be targeted for the distribution of 250 million condoms. Brazil has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world with 90,000 cases reported, though it is estimated that the total is much higher. "The Disease Detective" Time (12/30/96-01/06/97) Vol. 148, No. 29, P. 56; Gorman, Christine Dr. David Ho, director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center, says his research shows that the use of a drug cocktail including a protease inhibitor in newly infected patients could eliminate the virus within two to three years. When Ho presented his theory at the XIth International Conference on AIDS last summer, he provided the first evidence that HIV is not indefeatable. However, his strategy, while promising, could give people a false sense of hope and stymie prevention efforts. The high cost of the drugs also makes the treatment impractical as a global solution to the AIDS problem. Still, Ho has been influential in the fight against AIDS by helping to show how HIV attacks the immune system as well as the benefits of early treatment. The next step for Ho's research would be for his patients who began treatment early to stop the therapy and to watch for the return of the virus. At least one of Ho's patients has agreed to stop treatment when HIV can no longer be detected in his blood or tissues. "Cheese and Crackers" POZ (12/96-1/97) No. 19, P. 70; Pener, Degen When Shawn Decker, of rural Virginia, tested positive for HIV at the end of sixth grade, he was forced to leave school. After a fight with the school board, however, Decker was allowed to return to school the following fall. However, the student did not reveal his infection during high school, and he became reclusive, rarely talking about the infection for 9 years. Last February, Decker, who was diagnosed with hemophilia at age 2 and hepatitis B at age 4, says he had a revelation, which spurred him to create an Internet home page to tell his story. His Web site, called "My Pet Virus," which is located at http://www.cfw.com/-sdecker, includes the now 21-year-old's thoughts on safer sex education, being HIV-positive, and other issues and interests.