Date: Fri, 9 Dec 1994 18:36:23 +0500 From: awilson@aspensys.aspensys.com (Ann Wilson) Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 12/08/94 AIDS Daily Summary December 8, 1994 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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "AIDS to Slow Asian Economic Growth, Experts Warn" "Across the USA: Alabama" "Volunteers Take Care of AIDS Patients' Pets" "AMA Opposes Federal Mandates Requiring Physicians to Determine Immigration Status of Patients" "Kenyan in AIDS Case Refused Condom, NZ Court Told" "Epitope Announces Successful Completion of FDA Facilities Inspection" "Blood-Supply Computer Plan Struggling" "HIV-1 in Blister Fluid of a Patient with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and AIDS" "California: AIDS Drug Assistance Program, New Drugs Proposed; itle II Public Input Sought" "Russia's Law on Iatrogenic HIV Infection" ************************************************************ "AIDS to Slow Asian Economic Growth, Experts Warn" Reuters (12/08/94) United Nations experts warned that a major HIV epidemic will slow Asia's economic boom. "With over 2.5 million estimated HIV infections in South and Southeast Asia, HIV is poised to slow down the pace of economic and social development in the region," said the experts in a statement after two days of talks in Hanoi. Dr. Michael Merson, director of the World Health Organization's AIDS program, noted how HIV is well-established in Asia and is now spreading in parts of the region "faster than anywhere else in the world." Approximately 20 experts from Southeast Asia and the Pacific attended the meeting to discuss closer cooperation in fighting HIV and AIDS. "Across the USA: Alabama" USA Today (12/08/94) P. 8A An artist in Alabama says he is offended that his paintings of nude men were hidden during an art gallery fund-raiser for children with AIDS. An organizer of the event said the paintings might have scared off donors. "Volunteers Take Care of AIDS Patients' Pets" Reuters (12/07/94); Vinzant, Carol Nationwide, there are 17 animal service organizations for people with AIDS. Pet Owners With AIDS Resource Service (POWARS) helps AIDS patients care for their pets by walking dogs, changing litter boxes, and offering veterinary care. The services allow patients to keep their pets and enjoy their companionship, even when they cannot take care of the animals. Dr. Fredrick Angulo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has written a dissertation showing that pet owners "are less likely to be lonely." According to Angulo, "People with HIV become depressed...pets buffered that depression." Angulo is also a board member of the Pets Are Wonderful Support (PAWS) chapter in Los Angeles. Founded in 1987 in San Francisco, PAWS was the first pet service program in the United States for AIDS patients. The organization brought together veterinarians, doctors, and food-bank workers in a campaign to supply pet food and to teach doctors not to tell AIDS patients to give up their pets. PAWS-LA now has 800 clients, 700 volunteers, and 1,200 pets. "AMA Opposes Federal Mandates Requiring Physicians to Determine Immigration Status of Patients" PR Newswire (12/06/94) The American Medical Association (AMA) announced on Tuesday that it will oppose any federal mandates requiring doctors to determine a patient's immigration status before providing medical care. The organization also restated its policy of lobbying Congress to provide sufficient funding for existing health care programs for illegal aliens. "It is fundamentally inconsistent with the patient/physician relationship and the role of the physician to deny services solely because the prospective patient is an undocumented alien," said Dr. Lonnie R. Bristow, president-elect of the AMA. California's Proposition 187, for example, would require doctors to determine a patient's citizenship before providing treatment, "which poses a breach of physician ethics and patient confidentiality," added Bristow. The legislation poses a significant health risk by denying treatment for communicable and preventable diseases and could cause the spread of AIDS and tuberculosis. "Kenyan in AIDS Case Refused Condom, NZ Court Told" Reuters (12/06/94) A woman on Tuesday told a New Zealand court that the Kenyan man charged with willfully infecting her with HIV refused to wear a condom when they had sex. Peter Mwai, 29, pleaded guilty to charges of transmitting HIV to the woman and endangering four other women. The woman testified that she agreed to spend the night with Mwai after meeting him in a hotel. When she later presented Mwai with a condom, "he indicated there was no way he was going to put it on." If convicted, Mwai faces up to 14 years in prison. "Epitope Announces Successful Completion of FDA Facilities Inspection" PR Newswire (12/05/94) Epitope, Inc. announced Monday that Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials had completed a re-inspection of the company's manufacturing facilities and those of its contract manufacturer. The officials did not find occasion to issue a form 483 notice of deficiencies. The re-inspection was conducted as part of the FDA review of Epitope's pre-market approval application (PMA) for the use of its OraSure (R) oral collection device in HIV diagnostics. "Blood-Supply Computer Plan Struggling" Toronto Globe and Mail (12/02/94) P. A4; Coutts, Jane A report obtained by the Toronto Globe and Mail has found that efforts to design a national computer system for Canada's blood supply have been mismanaged and inadequate. Five years after the project was started, the country is still years away from having a national computer system to trace safety problems in the blood supply because of huge cost overruns and long delays. Commissioned by the Canadian Blood Agency in 1992 after concerns of problems in the development of a national computer system for the Red Cross, the report found that the project had a weak organizational structure. In addition, a contract for the writing of the software was signed before the magnitude of the project was agreed upon, and the staff did not properly understand all the functions the computer system was expected to perform. The Canadian Blood Agency will be responsible for funding the computer system. Once the computer system is running, it will help trace contaminated blood donations so that both donors and potential recipients can be warned. The system is also intended to prevent donations from people with HIV, hepatitis B, or other blood-borne diseases. "HIV-1 in Blister Fluid of a Patient with Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis and AIDS" Lancet (11/19/94) Vol. 344, No. 8934, P. 1432; Correia, Osvaldo; Delgado, Luis; Santos, Cristina et al The existence of markers for HIV infection in the blister fluid of a patient with toxic epidermal necrolysis (TEN) and full-blown AIDS is described in a letter to the editor by Correia et al appearing in the Lancet. A series of tests for HIV-1 and HIV-2 were performed on blood and blister fluid samples from a 34-year-old woman. Definitive evidence of HIV-1 infection in the patient was proven by HIV-1 antibodies, positivity to different viral antigen bands, HIV core antigen p24 positivity, and a positive viral culture in the skin blister fluid. The results emphasize the need for safety precautions for blood and body fluids. While the antigen specificity of epidermal CD8 T lymphocytes in TEN--in which significant numbers of CD8 T cells are found--has not been determined, numerous AIDS studies propose that both the increase in non-specific cytotoxic responses and CD8 HIV-specific cytotoxic T lymphocytes play a part in pathological syndromes associated with HIV infection. Correia et al suggest that the findings could also be related to the increased risk of severe cutaneous adverse reactions, such as TEN, in AIDS patients. "California: AIDS Drug Assistance Program, New Drugs Proposed; Title II Public Input Sought" AIDS Treatment News (11/04/94) No. 210, P. 7; James, John S. California's AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) pays for some drugs needed by people with HIV or AIDS. To qualify for the program, the prescription must be signed by a California-licensed physician and the drugs cannot be covered through the individual's insurance program. Drugs funded by ADAP include acyclovir, AZT, fluconazole, and rifabutin. Also, the HIV Comprehensive Care Working Group will finalize its recommendations for distributing Title II money at its meeting on Dec. 6 and 7. At issue is how to distribute funds among three programs: ADAP, AIDS Case Management Program (CMP), and CARE/Health Insurance Premium Payment Program (CARE/HIPP). "Russia's Law on Iatrogenic HIV Infection" Lancet (12/03/94) Vol. 344, No. 8936, P. 1562; Rich, Vera In contrast to the sharp criticism that Russia's proposed HIV testing law has drawn, an amendment to the Russian Federation Criminal Code has gone virtually unnoticed. The legislation would make doctors and medical workers open to prosecution for the HIV-infection of a patient due to medical negligence. For one patient, the penalty would be two to five years imprisonment, but if more than one patient is infected, the sentence would jump to seven to twelve years in jail. Another amendment makes it a criminal offense for health workers to divulge medical records concerning infection with HIV to unauthorized persons.