Date: Tue, 17 Jan 1995 09:24:01 +0500 Errors-To: awilson@smtpinet.aspensys.com Reply-To: aidsnews@aspensys.com Originator: aidsnews@cdcnac.aspensys.com Sender: aidsnews@aspensys.com From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 01/17/94 X-Comment: CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse AIDS Daily Summary January 17, 1995 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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "For Magic, a Vow to Defy AIDS" "A Man Once Called 'King Kong' Is Now in the Grip of Disease" "Benetton to Fight Mutiny over Ads in German Court" "Wellcome's Stock Falls 2.1% in Wake of FDA Panels' Rebuff of Herpes Drug" "Health Journal: How to Put Hyped Study Results Under a Microscope" "Vatican Firing of Bishop Shows Church Divisions" "Mandatory Anonymous HIV Surveillance in Denmark: The First Results of a New System" "Horizontal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus" "Coming Clean" "Clinic Opens Office of Latino Services" ************************************************************ "For Magic, a Vow to Defy AIDS" Philadelphia Inquirer (01/17/95) P. D1; Bamberger, Michael Since his announcement in November 1991 that he had tested HIV-positive, Earvin "Magic" Johnson has been attempting to defy medical law. Johnson's doctors are baffled because he does not look or act like a man with the fatal disease. He has gained 25 pounds of muscle since his retirement from the National Basketball Association. "I'm in the best physical shape of my life. I feel great," he says. Despite his magnetic persona, Johnson has kept a low profile on AIDS issues since leaving former President Bush's commission on AIDS prevention. He has, however, worked to bring scientists and doctors together and educate people through that effort. "There's nobody who has raised as much money for HIV-AIDS as I have, and I'm proud of that," Johnson concludes. "A Man Once Called 'King Kong' Is Now in the Grip of Disease" Philadelphia Inquirer (01/17/95) P. D1; Bamberger, Michael Former World Series player Glenn Burke, at age 42, is in the grip of AIDS. His feet are swollen and covered with purple lesions and his teeth are small yellow triangles, worn down to nubs by relentless nocturnal nervousness. Formerly 220 pounds, he now weighs 150. Although his major league career never lived up to the promise he showed in the minor leagues, he has left his mark in another way. "They can't ever say now that a gay man can't play in the majors, because I'm a gay man and I made it," says Burke. He is the only major-leaguer to ever openly acknowledge his homosexuality. In 1982, two years after he retired, he said that while an injury was the surface reason he retired at age 27, homophobia was the underlying reason. He said that two of his managers, Tommy Lasorda and the late Billy Martin were prejudiced against gays, and as a result he was never given a real chance to show his skills. Burke is now confined to one room in his sister's apartment that is filled with love and the candor that accompanies impending death. "Benetton to Fight Mutiny over Ads in German Court" Wall Street Journal (01/17/95) P. B6; Steinmetz, Greg Benetton Group SpA is in a legal battle with many of its German storeowners, who complain that the Italian knitwear and clothing group's controversial advertisements have hurt sales. When they first appeared two years ago, the ads--such as one showing a man dying of AIDS--prompted an outcry from some European countries. Both youth groups and the Protestant Church in Germany called for boycotts. German merchants claim that the controversy has reduced sales by as much as 30 percent, and have refused to pay Benetton for the merchandise. Benetton has sued each of the storeowners for payment. Benetton officials maintain the claims are groundless and say that German retailers in general have had sales decline in recent years as the result of weak consumer sales. Benetton says the ads have been beneficial for business and that the ad campaign has won awards in France. Benetton's unit sales rose 12.7 percent last year. "Wellcome's Stock Falls 2.1% in Wake of FDA Panels' Rebuff of Herpes Drug" Wall Street Journal (01/16/95) P. B6C; Moore, Stephen D. The decision of two advisory panels to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) not to recommend approval of a nonprescription version of Wellcome PLC's Zovirax caused the company's shares to fall 2.1 percent on Friday. Market analysts warned that uncertainty about the fate of nonprescription Zovirax and increased concerns about the company's lackluster new-drug pipeline could cause further weakness. Zovirax, a treatment for genital herpes, accounts for about one-third of Wellcome's annual sales. Development of a nonprescription version of the drug is thought to be one way to persuade more patients to treat genital herpes; currently only about 10 percent of the people who have it seek medical treatment. The FDA committees, however, were concerned with issues of widespread underdosing and self-diagnosis. While the panels' decision is not binding, the FDA usually follows the experts' advice. "Health Journal: How to Put Hyped Study Results Under a Microscope" Wall Street Journal (01/16/95) P. B1; Chase, Marilyn As new study results are announced every week, it can be difficult to distinguish hyped up results from significant findings. "Be skeptical of everything," says AIDS activist Spencer Cox, who investigates medical claims. Questions to ask include whether the trial was large enough to make it significant, whether the therapeutic effect of a drug was substantial compared to conventional treatment, and whether the test was fair. Two of the most egregious examples of results being inflated in AIDS were the Triple-Drug Combination and Compound Q, according to Cox. "People were screaming that it was the cure." Neither, however, has proven its worth as a treatment. The late Rock Hudson's trip to France for the French AIDS drug HPA 23 inspired a wave of imitators. Paul Volberding, an AIDS researcher at the University of California at San Francisco, remembers "all the people that raced to France and came back in stretchers" and whose conditions were unchanged by the drug. "Vatican Firing of Bishop Shows Church Divisions" Reuters (01/15/95); Arieff, Irwin The Vatican's firing of an outspoken liberal bishop has sparked controversy across France and revealed deep divisions within the Catholic Church. Many of the Church's top officials in France have expressed dismay at the removal of Monsignor Jacques Gaillot, bishop of Evreux in Normandy since 1982. On Sunday, groups of faithful gathered outside their churches in protest. Gaillot, dubbed "The Red Cleric" for his fearless public stands on controversial church issues, once said that condoms were the best way of fighting AIDS. He also spoke in favor of an abortion-inducing pill. Other stands Gaillot has taken include arguing for the ordination of married men and urging tolerance of homosexuals--both in contrast to the tightening of traditional Roman Catholic doctrine which has marked the reign of Pope John Paul II. In response to escalating public criticism from theologians, the Vatican has been cracking down on outspoken dissidents. Gaillot will celebrate his final mass in Evreux next Sunday. "Mandatory Anonymous HIV Surveillance in Denmark: The First Results of a New System" American Journal of Public Health (12/94) Vol. 84, No. 12, P. 1929; Smith, Else; Rix, Bo A.; Melbye, Mads HIV surveillance was recently improved in Denmark by the introduction of an anonymous mandatory HIV-reporting system for all individuals testing HIV-positive. The system requires that all laboratories performing confirmatory HIV tests send a report form along with any positive results. The physician is then mandated by law to fill in the form with data on the patient and to keep two copies for his own files before sending the originals to the national surveillance unit. After a revision was made to facilitate reporting, the surveillance unit obtained a 95 percent response rate. The HIV surveillance system permits routine evaluation of the completeness of reporting and reminds nonresponding doctors of their obligation to report. Although the system does not necessarily reflect the actual spread of HIV because persons tested years ago may be included, it has also proven useful for public health authorities in guiding information campaigns. "Horizontal Transmission of Hepatitis B Virus" Lancet (01/07/95) Vol. 345, No. 8941, P. 27; Van Damme, Pierre; Cramm, Myrjam; Van Der Auwera, Jean-Claude et al A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Belgium for hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers among the relatives of institutionalized mentally handicapped persons to evaluate the prevalence of hepatitis B and the risk of infection. The researchers found that the relatives of an HBV positive resident were almost 8 times more likely to be infected than the relatives of an HBV seronegative mentally handicapped person. HBV infection in 83 percent of the family members could be attributed to exposure to an HBV positive resident. The findings illustrate the importance of horizontal transmission among relatives of institutionalized mentally handicapped people, even when family contact is reduced. The researchers recommend that HBV vaccination policy should be augmented to include the relatives of institutionalized mentally handicapped people. "Coming Clean" Advocate (01/24/95) No. 672/673, P. 79; Wieder, Judy Billie Joe Armstrong, the front man and the main songwriter for the punk group Green Day, insists that taking Pansy Division, a gay-in-your-face punk group, on tour with Green Day was not just a gimmick to shock fans. Green Day has done two albums for Lookout Records, the same label that Pansy Division is on. The two bands also share a commitment to what they call personal politics. "I think that Pansy Division is the kind of band that saves people's lives," says Armstrong. "They're catchy, and they're really educational. They're honest about their sexuality and that saves lives." Armstrong, who says "I think I've always been bisexual," though he's never had a relationship with another man, admits that the rock world is still full of prejudice against gays and AIDS. He wonders if he dares approach the subject in his songwriting. "I'm not really educated enough to write about AIDS, but I could certainly write about losing someone who's close to me," he said. "I'm more the type of person who would write about how ignorant and stupid people are about something like AIDS." Armstrong has an openly gay uncle who has full-blown AIDS. "Clinic Opens Office of Latino Services" Washington Blade (01/06/95) Vol. 26, No. 1, P. 6; Fox, Sue The Whitman-Walker Clinic in Washington, D.C., recently announced the creation of the Office of Latino Services to coordinate the Clinic's outreach to the Latino population in the nation's capital, suburban Maryland, and northern Virginia. The Office--to be directed by Frank Yurrita, former director of the Clinic's Latino Project--will offer HIV/AIDS education programs for the metropolitan area's Latino community and technical assistance and training for local Latino organizations. The new division will also develop HIV/AIDS education and prevention campaigns for broadcast and print media. THE END.