Date: Fri, 23 Jun 1995 09:33:01 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com AIDS Daily Summary June 23, 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 ************************************************************ "Jury Awards $4.1 Million to Ex-Priest Mistakenly Told He Had HIV" "Federal AIDS Training Decried" "New Jersey Senate Clears Bill Easing HIV Suits Against Pharmaceuticals" "Negative AIDS Test May Not Mean All-Clear--Report" "Removal of Blood Supplies Urged" "'Healing' Service to Honor AIDS Victims" "A 'Topper' Movie in the Age of AIDS" "Lymphoma: New TAG Report" "AIDS Update: Stretching Stress Away" ************************************************************ "Jury Awards $4.1 Million to Ex-Priest Mistakenly Told He Had HIV" Washington Post (06/23/95) P. C3; Locy, Toni A former Catholic priest has been awarded $4.1 million after he was mistakenly told that he was HIV-positive, and treated with drugs--including AZT--for five years by a physician who did not retest him for the virus that causes AIDS. Late Wednesday, the jury rejected the arguments of the physician's attorney, who claimed that Raymond Machesney actually was infected with HIV but that the virus had reversed itself. The lawyer said that this unusual case may be difficult to prove because the blood samples Machesney gave several years ago have been destroyed. The jury also found against K.L. McCoy M.D. & Associates, which supervised the lab which made the positive diagnosis in 1985. However, the jury found in favor of Providence Hospital--where the lab was located--saying it was not liable. Machesney discovered he was not infected when he participated in an experimental treatment for his lover, who has AIDS. According to his lawyer, Machesney is currently healthy but it may be some time before he learns how the drugs he took will affect him physically. Related Story: Baltimore Sun (06/23) P. 18A "Federal AIDS Training Decried" Washington Times (06/23/95) P. A3; Scarborough, Rowan At Thursday's House hearing on federal AIDS training, employees who had attended the mandatory training said that instructors tended toward inappropriate language about sexual practices. Family-values researchers and lawmakers said that federal workers have complained about AIDS instructors who used models of erect penises to demonstrate condom use. One employee observed that it seemed more like "a class in sex education, rather than a seminar to educate federal employees about the challenges posed by the HIV-AIDS epidemic." However, Ken Goodman-- director of the Whitman-Walker Training Institute, the largest provider of AIDS training in the federal government--said that the training had been received "enthusiastically," and that the instruction did not focus on bizarre sexual practices, as alleged. Conservative activists, however, say they have received many complaints, and suggested that there are additional employees who remain silent for fear of reprisal. "New Jersey Senate Clears Bill Easing HIV Suits Against Pharmaceuticals" Knight-Ridder/Tribune Business News (06/23/95); Shaw, Donna The New Jersey State Senate has unanimously approved a bill that would provide HIV-infected hemophiliacs with one extra year to sue pharmaceutical manufacturers for products which infected them with the virus. An opinion from the state Attorney General's office says that the "subsequent legislation cannot revive causes of actions previously barred by a statute of limitations." However in a separate report, the Assembly's nonpartisan Office of Legislative Services argues that even though the bill would pass on "due-process grounds," it may be unconstitutional as "special legislation" for AIDS-infected hemophiliacs. Gov. Whitman's spokesperson, Rita Manno, says that the governor will review the bill, but she expects the Attorney General's opinion to have "a great impact" on the governor's decision. "Negative AIDS Test May Not Mean All-Clear--Report" Reuters (06/22/95) According to doctors at the National Blood Transfusion Institute in Paris, a negative test for HIV may not mean that a person is not infected--even up to six months after a person has been exposed to the virus. Dr. Jean-Jacques Lefrere and his colleagues report in the Lancet that they have treated a woman who did not test HIV-positive until eight months after exposure. The woman, a hospital cleaner, was tested for HIV several times after accidentally pricking herself with a needle. Although she repeatedly tested negative, the woman tested positive for HIV after eight months--which the doctors say is important because infected people are frequently very infectious before their first positive test. "Moreover, years could pass before the diagnosis of HIV infection, and the individual could miss opportunities for early treatment," they add. The researchers conclude that the delay before detection could be the result of a weaker form of the virus or because the women was infected with a very low dose which took that long to build up in her body. "Removal of Blood Supplies Urged" New York Times (06/23/95) P. A18; Leary, Warren E. An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended that the agency recall blood products taken from donors inflicted with a rare neurological disease called Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome. Although the panel said there is no evidence that the fatal degenerative disease of the central nervous system is transmitted by the transfusion of blood, the group urged the FDA to withdraw affected supplies to maintain confidence in the nation's blood system. The panel was convened to advise the FDA on what to do about blood and plasma products discovered to contain blood from donors subsequently found to have the disease. Creutzfeldt-Jakob syndrome has been confirmed in seven donors over the last 12 years. After hearing testimony from hemophiliacs and other patients who said that any risk was too high, the panel unanimously voted to recommend that the blood from people with the disease not be used. The patients said that they did not have confidence in any scientific judgment that minimized risks in light of the many people who became infected with HIV via contaminated blood during the 1970s. "'Healing' Service to Honor AIDS Victims" Baltimore Sun (06/23/95) P. 4B; Somerville, Frank P.L. This Sunday, Rev. Dale W. Dusman, pastor of St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Baltimore, will combine a service of healing with a ceremony dedicating a work of art. The service of healing is the result of the AIDS funerals in which Dusman has officiated or taken part. "These have been emotional, tragic experiences for St. Mark's, and the deaths have been especially difficult for the families because of the stigma," the pastor explained. The art work is a large mosaic--containing more than 8,000 pieces of glass--depicting the traditional, winged, haloed lion symbolic of St. Mark, holding an open book with the Latin inscription, "Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus." This quote means "Peace to you, Mark, my evangelist." "A 'Topper' Movie in the Age of AIDS" New York Times (06/23/95) P. C16; Holden, Stephen "Heaven's a Drag" is a movie that is determined to find inspirational uplift in the AIDS epidemic. While alternating between witty drawing-room comedy and tear-drenched pathos, the film also offers politically pointed vignettes on hemophilia and gay-bashing. The two principal characters are Simon and Mark, who live together in London in a sexually open arrangement. Mark is HIV-positive. The film deals matter-of-factly with his illness, and becomes a profound exploration of unequal love between partners, repressed grief, and the legacy of Simon's bitter relationship with his late father. "Lymphoma: New TAG Report" AIDS Treatment News (06/02/95) No. 224, P. 8 A new booklet published by the Treatment Action Group (TAG) reports on the current status of AIDS-related lymphoma. "The Lymphoma Project Report: Current Issues in Research and Treatment of AIDS-Associated Lymphoma," by Michael Marco, investigates all aspects of AIDS-related lymphoma, including conventional and experimental treatments. The publication, which includes interviews with dozens of experts, also includes 23 recommendations, primarily for improving future research. "AIDS Update: Stretching Stress Away" Men's Health (07/95-08/95) Vol. 10, No. 6, P. 33 According to the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), one of the most popular exercises among HIV-infected men is yoga. The AIDS service organization says clients find yoga's emphasis on gentle stretching very helpful for relaxation and stress relief.