AIDS Daily Summary December 1, 1993 World AIDS Day 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 Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "Depression and AIDS: 2 Conclusions" Washington Post (12/01/93) P. A5 New studies probing whether depression accelerates the onset of AIDS symptoms have produced opposite conclusions. The John Hopkins University study, which found no such effect, has been called the more reliable of the two studies. Analyzing eight years of data from 1,809 HIV-positive men who had not developed AIDS, researchers found no significant differences in the decline of CD4 lymphocytes among patients who were depressed and patients who were not. Most researchers believe that HIV kills these white blood cells and that the lower the count, the more susceptible the patient to symptoms. The second study, conducted by a team at the University of California at San Francisco, found that CD4 levels among depressed individuals dropped 38 percent faster than those of subjects who were not depressed. The study did not, however, establish a link between depression and the amount of time from HIV diagnosis to full-blown AIDS or death. The UCSF team examined 66 months of data from a smaller sample of 277 HIV-infected men who had not progressed to AIDS. According to Samuel Perry and Baruch Fishman of Cornell University, the San Francisco conclusions, although "intriguing," are less reliable than those of the Johns Hopkins study, which looked at more subjects over a longer time frame. When data from both studies were combined, the effects found in the UCSF study evaporated, they said in an editorial. All the researchers agree, however, that depression should be treated in AIDS patients. Related Story: Baltimore Sun (12/01) P. 9A "Surgeon General Endorses Condoms to Fight AIDS" Washington Post (12/01/93) P. A9 (Brown, DeNeen L.) On the eve of World AIDS Day, U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders urged communities to embark on a massive education campaign against the spread of the AIDS virus through the distribution and advertisement of condoms. "We are concerned we have not been able to find the magic bullet...to stop the disease," Elders said at a news conference at the Whitman-Walker Clinic. "We are concerned we don't have a cure. That means we have to use every means available to stop the spread of this disease." Jim Graham, the clinic's executive director, agreed. "We need a bombardment of reminders: You have got to use condoms." Elders' speech was delivered on the eve of World AIDS Day, an event established in 1988 to draw worldwide attention to the AIDS crisis. "Paris Obelisk Sports Giant Condom on AIDS Day" Reuters (12/01/93) Paris--In observance of World AIDS Day, French demonstrators placed a giant pink condom over the obelisk on the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris. The 72-foot condom displayed the logo of ACT UP, an AIDS activist organization, as well as the logo of Italian clothier Benetton, which has faced criticism for its controversial AIDS advertising campaigns. "This was the best symbol we could think of for World AIDS Day," said ACT UP spokesperson Philippe Mangeot. "We're right opposite the National Assembly [lower house] which is doing nothing to fight the disease." Benetton funded the event, including the making of the condom. "Burroughs Wellcome Dedicates Memorial on World AIDS Day" PR Newswire (12/01/93) Research Triangle Park, N.C.--Burroughs Wellcome, a pharmaceutical company on the front line in the AIDS battle, today unveiled its AIDS memorial as part of the observance of World AIDS Day. Entitled "Someone is Picking all the Flowers," the four-paneled stained glass window placed in the main lobby of the drug firm's South Building, is a tribute to individuals who worked with the company and who have died of AIDS. "The bright colors, beauty, and symbolism of the stained glass window provide a daily reflection in which all employees can remember individuals in their lives who have died from this disease," said Fred Gregg, manager of HIV community relations at Burroughs Wellcome. "Day Without Art, Night Without Light Scheduled for AIDS" United Press International (11/30/93) World AIDS Day will be marked in America by two big projects: Day Without Art and Night Without Light. Some 5,300 cultural institutions nationwide will participate in the former, according to Visual AIDS, a non-profit group of art professionals who organized the event. Day Without Art was kicked off on Tuesday by the New York Metropolitan Museum, which either removed or shrouded in black at least one object from each curatorial department. New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vienna, London, and Montreal are among the international cities that will participate in the Night Without Light observance. The cities will darken the decorative lighting of over 400 towers, landmarks, and bridges. In addition, television screens in some parts of the United States will go blank for one minute early Wednesday evening to commemorate the day. Related Story: USA Today (12/01) P. 1D "Workshop Opens for Production of Historic Mile-Long Rainbow Flag on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1" PR Newswire (11/29/93) Pittsburgh--With the Dec. 1 opening of the workshop that will produce the largest rainbow flag on earth, World AIDS Day will kick off what may be the biggest "grassroots" fundraiser for AIDS in recent history. Gilbert Baker, creator of the first rainbow flag, has been commissioned by the Stadtlanders Foundation to design and produce this flag, which at one-mile long is three times the size of the Empire State Building. The multi-colored flag, a universal symbol of homosexual pride, represents a community that has been devastated by the AIDS epidemic. In New York City on June 26, 1994, an expected 10,000 participants from across the United States will donate $50 or more to help carry the mile-long, 30-foot-wide flag during its one and only appearance at the International March on the United Nations to Affirm the Human Rights of Gay and Lesbian People. The "Raise The Rainbow" effort is expected to generate $500,000, which will be distributed among AIDS service organizations nationwide. Corporate sponsor Stadtlanders Pharmacy, a nationwide pharmacy specializing in serving the needs of HIV/AIDS patients, is underwriting all costs for creation of the rainbow flag so that every dollar contributed by marchers can directly benefit the foundation. "UNICEF Presents Youth and AIDS Exhibit" PR Newswire (11/26/93) The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will open a multi-media exhibition titled "Youth & AIDS: Act Now!" on Wednesday, Dec. 1. The exhibit is one in a series of activities planned for the day by the United Nations, the American Foundation for AIDS Research, and the World Health Organization to mark World AIDS Day. Liza Minnelli will perform at the opening of the exhibit, and U.S. Postmaster General Marvin Runyon will present the new AIDS stamp. Dr. Michael Merson, executive director of WHO's global program on AIDS, will also address the crowd. The multi-media exhibit studies the increasing effect of HIV on young people, women, and families in both industrialized and developing countries. "The human face of the pandemic is overwhelmingly the face of children and youth--as many as two-thirds of all HIV infections occur among young people before their 25th birthday," said James P. Grant, executive director of UNICEF. WHO predicts that 30-40 million adults and children will have been infected with the AIDS virus by the turn of the century, and that some 10 million children and adolescents will have been orphaned by the epidemic. "Artists Will Mourn the Havoc Wrought by AIDS" Philadelphia Inquirer (11/30/93) P. E1 (Sozanski, Edward) Although it has been dubbed Day Without Art, the observance of World AIDS Day in the Philadelphia area will once again employ art as a positive force in raising public awareness about the epidemic. On Wednesday, Dec. 1, regional art and AIDS service organizations will commemorate the day with special events and exhibitions. Center City will feature an "umbrella procession" in which marchers are asked to carry black umbrellas to symbolize ignorance about AIDS, as well as hope. The procession will conclude with an unveiling of a poster replica of the new AIDS awareness stamp, a reading, and a musical tribute. Coffeehouses and cafes in Center City will sponsor AIDS-related discussions and performances throughout the day. The Franklin Science Institute will present "You Bet Your Life," a 20-minute one-act play about AIDS in which performers interact directly with the audience. The Philadelphia Museum of Art will open a new exhibit of artworks created by artists infected with AIDS. The largest exhibition, which opens at Sande Webster Gallery and the Gallery at A.P.F., is Paper Prayers, which refers to the Oriental practice of painting prayers on strips of paper to ward off disease. The show will feature some 200 works by more than 100 artists. The artworks will be on sale for $100 each, with proceeds benefiting Manna, an organization that provides meals to housebound AIDS patients. "Governor Designates AIDS Day in Maryland" Baltimore Sun (11/27/93) P. 2B Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer has declared Wednesday, Dec. 1, as World AIDS Day throughout the state. Maryland motorists who know someone infected with HIV or AIDS, or who knew someone who died from the virus are urged to commemorate the day by driving with their headlights on during the daylight hours. "This simple act should help demonstrate the impact this disease has had on our society," Schaefer said. Highway signs will remind drivers to travel with their lights on, and several radio traffic reporters will broadcast AIDS Day messages as part of their reports. According to statistics, 7,420 Marylanders have been diagnosed with AIDS since 1981, and some 4,300 have died. "China Sets Up Organization to Fight Spread of AIDS" Philadelphia Inquirer (12/01/93) P. A11 Conceding that AIDS is spreading in China because of public ignorance about what has been long dismissed as a "foreigners' disease," the country yesterday established its first nationwide anti-AIDS organization. Statistics released by the newly formed National Association of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS Control and Prevention, as reported by the official Xinhau news agency, shattered the myth of China's invulnerability to AIDS. Of 1,159 confirmed HIV carriers in China, 948 are nationals while only 211 are foreigners, it said. Health officials in China and abroad say they believe the actual number of infections is much higher. The anti-AIDS organization was set up to help the government organize prevention activities, said Health Minister Chen Minzhang. "Health Chiefs Say Russia Keeping AIDS at Bay" Reuters (11/29/93) (Abrams, Hester) Moscow--Only 96 Russians have died of AIDS since 1987 and fears of an epidemic there have shown to be unwarranted, health officials announced on Monday. In the past six years, public health authorities registered 691 people as HIV positive, none of whom became infected through contaminated blood. This revelation has caused some Moscow doctors and activists to cast doubt on the accuracy of official statistics, following World Health Organization projections that Russia would experience 12,000 to 15,000 HIV cases by 1993. Measures to stop the spread of the virus in hospital have been successful, according to various health agencies. Russian production of 1.8 billion disposable syringes over the past five years have helped prevent HIV infection, said First Deputy Health Minister Alexei Moskvichev. "These measures allowed us to exclude the transmission of HIV infection through blood," he said. "All new cases were connected with the transmission of HIV through sexual contacts." The country was plagued by scandal in the late 1980s, when hospitals re-used needles, resulting in HIV infection of more than 100 children. "Iran Says AIDS Kills 62, Up to 5,500 Infected" Reuters (11/29/93) Nicosia--Of a population of 60 million, 62 Iranians have died from AIDS, 85 more have been diagnosed with the deadly disease, and as many as 5,500 are suspected of being infected with the virus, reported Deputy Health Minister Hossein Malekafzali, as quoted by IRNA, Iran's news agency. IRNA also quoted the senior official as saying that by 1992, about 70 percent of the HIV infections had been caused by blood transfusions of tainted blood products imported since 1987. Malekafzali noted that HIV infection was more widespread in the northern parts of Iran where thalassemia, a blood disorder treated with transfusions, is common. "Germany Launches AIDS Test Advertising Blitz" Reuters (11/24/93) Bonn, Germany--In an effort to allay public fears raised by a national blood supply scandal, German Health Minister Horst Seehofer embarked on an advertising blitz urging millions of Germans to receive AIDS testing. Advertisements declaring tests as the fastest way to relieve anxieties caused by allegations of an HIV-contaminated blood supply were published in newspapers countrywide. The campaign was launched following a report indicating that three-quarters of the German population thought AIDS testing was a good idea, and that 15 percent definitely intended to be tested themselves, said Annelies Klug, a Health Ministry spokesperson. Three German pharmaceutical companies have been shut down in the midst of allegations that they inadequately screened blood products for HIV. So far, 40 cases of infection since 1985 have been traced to contaminated blood products. "Indonesia Enrolls HIV Entertainers in AIDS Fight" Reuters (11/26/93) Jakarta--Indonesia Friday kicked off an anti-AIDS campaign that uses seminars, exhibitions, and a concert featuring HIV-infected singers and dancers to promote awareness of the disease. The Indonesian AIDS Foundation, a government-affiliated organization, is inviting teens and businesspersons to attend a series of events beginning on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day. The campaign aims to show anyone can be infected, and will include an AIDS Solidarity Night concert presented by infected performers, according to Nona Pooroe Utomo, executive director of the agency. Utomo says her seminars will provide training to businesspersons to develop AIDS awareness communication strategies for their own companies. Indonesian officials predict that some 500,000 people will be infected by 1995. Although they appear eager to promote the dangers of AIDS, fear of Moslem pressure has restricted education campaigns urging condom use and limited sexual partners, say aid workers. The government has announced plans in June to increase HIV testing, especially among high-risk groups. "AIDS-Infected Needle Worse Than Weapon, Court Told" Reuters (11/24/93) Libson, Portugal--Two youths are in jail after robbing a man with the threat of giving him AIDS via an infected needle. A Lisbon court sentenced them to four years in prison for the mugging, in which they took $2 from the victim, then used his bank card to steal $75 more. Tests indicated that the syringe used in the robbery was not infected with HIV, but the panel of three judges ruled that the threat of using it "caused more fear than a [real] weapon."