Date: Thu, 6 Jul 1995 09:42:09 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary July 6, 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 ************************************************************ "Angola Now 'Perfect Petri Dish for HIV'" "Clinton Assails Helms's AIDS Stance" "Gingrich Wants Scientists to Set AIDS Funding" "Cells' 'Suicide' Enzyme Could Cure Key Diseases" "Merck Drug Shown Effective for Treating Scabies in Humans" "Chiron Files Eye Treatment Implant with F.D.A." "Philippines Hunts 33 Bar Girls with AIDS Virus" "AIDS Deaths Rose in Switzerland in 1994" "Adolescents' Perceptions of Factors Affecting Their Decisions to Seek Health Care" "Streisand Pays Stealth Visit to NIH" "Notice of Public Meeting" ************************************************************ "Angola Now 'Perfect Petri Dish for HIV'" Washington Times (07/06/95) P. A14; McDougall, Christopher While other countries are working to fight the virus that causes AIDS, 20 years of relentless fighting has made Angola "a lethally perfect petri dish for HIV," according to the World Health Organization's (WHO's) Dr. Eben Moussi. The WHO official says Angola is not prepared for the disease "psychologically, physically, [or] economically." In addition, thousands of international troops and aid workers who will soon be sent across the southern African country under a United Nations reconstruction plan are at risk. The Center for International and Strategic Studies says that soon-to-be-demobilized government and UNITA rebel troops pose the greatest threat; the infection rate is so high among African soldiers that they have a greater risk of dying of AIDS than from warfare. Moussi estimates that at least 100,000 Angolan government and rebel troops--half of the fighting force--are infected with HIV. The war that erupted on the eve of Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975 has destroyed hospitals, bankrupted health care funds, and forced more than 80 percent of civilians into the government-held coastal region. Related Story: USA Today (07/06) P. 5A; St. Louis Post-Dispatch (07/05) P. 5B "Clinton Assails Helms's AIDS Stance" Washington Post (07/06/95) P. A6; Devroy, Ann; Brown, David On Wednesday, President Clinton asked Republican congressional leaders to ignore the issue of how people become infected with HIV, and focus instead on reuthorizing a multimillion-dollar federal program that helps treat the disease. In letters to Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), Clinton urged reapproval of the Ryan White CARE Act, which was named for a young Indiana hemophiliac who died of AIDS. Helms, a vigorous opponent of gay rights, said in comments published in Wednesday's New York Times that AIDS funding should be reduced because homosexuals contract the disease through their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting conduct." Some Democrats and gay rights advocates responded with outrage to the comments. Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), for example, blasted Helms as "a bigoted fool" and expressed concern that Republican leaders appear to be stalling reauthorization of the act, which expires in September. Clinton described Helms' contention that AIDS patients receive more federal funding than those with other illnesses as "a false argument." Total spending for AIDS research, treatment, and other funding in fiscal 1995 was nearly $6 billion, while spending for cancer and heart disease totaled $17.5 billion and $38 billion, respectively. Related Story: Washington Times (07/06) P. A8 "Gingrich Wants Scientists to Set AIDS Funding" USA Today (07/06/95) P. 1A; Wolf, Richard In response to Sen. Jesse Helms's (R-N.C.) controversial comments about AIDS funding, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he thought the issue should be decided by "the scientists." Gingrich recommended the creation of a panel to examine national research--one that says, "'Here are the next seven major breakthroughs. If AIDS is one, then it [spending] ought to go to AIDS," he concluded. Helms urged reducing government funding of AIDS research because "we've got to have common sense about a disease transmitted by people engaging in unnatural acts." "Cells' 'Suicide' Enzyme Could Cure Key Diseases" Washington Times (07/06/95) P. A7 Researchers have discovered an enzyme that induces a form of suicide in human cells, which could help cure such diseases as AIDS and Alzheimer's. In the journal Nature, the scientists reported that all cells have a "program" that leads to apoptosis--or cell death--either at the end of a period of time or after exposure to a hazard, such as radiation. The study's authors found that the enzyme, which they named "apopain," triggered elements of apoptosis, including the shrinking of cells and splitting of genetic material. "Merck Drug Shown Effective for Treating Scabies in Humans" Wall Street Journal (07/06/95) P. B3 According to researchers at the University of Miami School of Medicine, Merck & Co.'s drug ivermectin successfully treated scabies in humans. Scabies, which affects about 500,000 Americans each year, is caused by a parasitic mite that burrows under the skin and causes extreme itching. In this week's New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers reported that a single oral dose of ivermectin cured 11 otherwise healthy people of scabies infections. A single dose also cured eight members of a group of HIV-infected patients, but two others required a second treatment. Another patient was too severely infected to be cured by ivermectin alone. The researchers concluded that the drug does not protect against future scabies infections, as five patients became re-infected during the months following the drug therapy. "Chiron Files Eye Treatment Implant with F.D.A." New York Times (07/06/95) P. D3; Fisher, Lawrence M. The Chiron Corp. has filed a marketing application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an implant, called Vitrasert, that would administer ganciclovir directly to the eye of patients with cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis. This condition is the most frequent infection and the primary cause of blindness in AIDS patients. Currently, patients with CMV retinitis receive daily injections of ganciclovir or foscarnet. Vitrasert, however, would deliver ganciclovir for as long as six months, thus reducing the expense while slowing disease progression. The implant would be jointly marketed by Chiron's ophthalmic division Chiron Vision and Hoffman LaRoche Inc., the manufacturer of ganciclovir. Chiron predicts rapid FDA approval of the implant. "Philippines Hunts 33 Bar Girls with AIDS Virus" Reuters (07/06/95) Philippine police are searching for 33 HIV-infected bargirls, who are believed to be still working at nightspots. The police are looking for the girls--two of whom have developed AIDS--so they can be turned over to health authorities for counseling. Although national figures show a total of 643 HIV-infected people, estimates of the actual number of HIV carriers are as high as 50,000. "AIDS Deaths Rose in Switzerland in 1994" Reuters (07/05/95) AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Swiss people aged 25 to 34, the federal statistics office announced on Wednesday. Approximately one in five of the 275 deaths in this age group last year were AIDS-related. Intravenous drug use was one of the primary reasons for such a high percentage of AIDS-related deaths within the age group, a statistics office spokesman said. Overall, the number of deaths from AIDS in Switzerland increased by more than 10 percent in 1994. "Adolescents' Perceptions of Factors Affecting Their Decisions to Seek Health Care" Journal of the American Medical Association (06/28/95) Vol. 273, No. 24, P. 1913; Ginsburg, Kenneth R.; Slap, Gail B.; Cnaan, Avital et al. Over a 10-month period in 1993, researchers conducted a study among ninth graders in the Philadelphia School District to determine which characteristics of health care providers and locations affect teenagers' decisions to seek medical care. The study's five stages consisted of small group meetings and surveys in which the students ranked priorities suggested during the meetings. Among the students' primary concerns were the cleanliness of both the provider and the site, the provider's knowledge, and the HIV seronegativity of the provider. When asked why four of the top 10 items pertained to cleanliness or infection control, seven of the 21 open focus groups said they were concerned about HIV and AIDS. The other 14 groups were concerned about "germs" in general, but specifically AIDS, most said. All 21 groups noted the media reports of Kimberly Bergalis, who reported HIV transmission through dental care. According to the researchers, the results indicate confusion among youth about the risk of HIV transmission through routine health care visits. The level of fear, however, may be related to the relatively young age of the students. Alternatively, the students may represent a group of youths who were highly impressionable at the time when the media focused on the Bergalis case. The researchers conclude that the findings indicate a critical need for increased public education about the near-zero risk of HIV transmission via routine health care. "Streisand Pays Stealth Visit to NIH" Science (06/23/95) Vol. 268, No. 5218, P. 1687 On June 12, Barbara Streisand visited the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in search of sites for the forthcoming film version of the AIDS play, "The Normal Heart." The play, which was written by AIDS activist Larry Kramer, rages at the world for ignoring the early signs of the AIDS crisis. Although an NIH spokesperson confirmed Streisand's visit, there was no word on whether the actress chose the Bethesda, Md., location for scenes that involve AIDS research. "Notice of Public Meeting" Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (07/06/95) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will host a public meeting to discuss the implementation and evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for counseling and testing pregnant women. The purpose of this meeting is to obtain individual comments on the following: strategies to prevent HIV infection among women and children; strategies to ensure that women and newborns who are infected are entered into a continuum of services; and the considerations involved in monitoring the epidemic in women and children in general. The meeting will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza Hotel, 210 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta Georgia, on July 11 and 12, from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. To make hotel reservations, please contact the Westin Peachtree Plaza at (404) 659-1400. For additional information, call Francess Page at (202) 690-6373.