Date: Mon, 30 Oct 1995 09:39:22 +0500 From: ghmcleaf{CONTRACTOR/ASPEN/ghmcleaf}%NAC-GATEWAY.ASPEN@ace.aspensys.com Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 10/30/95 AIDS Daily Summary October 30, 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 ************************************************************ "Internet Unveils AIDS Site" "Fired Nurse Sues Center over HIV Case" "Indonesian Company Sends Away Thais with AIDS" "As Threat Grows, China Launches Anti-AIDS Drive" "Indonesia and Australia Sign AIDS Agreement" "Asian Child Prostitution on Rise Despite New Laws" "HIV-Positive Man Doesn't Tell; Partner Gets Infected, Pregnant" "Streptococcus Pneumoniae Resistant to Penicillin and Tetracycline Associated With HIV Seropositivity" "A Randomized Study of the Clinical Effects of Initiating or Changing Antiretroviral Therapy Based on Plasma HIV RNA Quantitation Compared with Initiating or Changing Therapy Based on Current Clinical Practice Alone" ************************************************************ "Internet Unveils AIDS Site" Washington Post--Washington Business (10/30/95) P. 15 A new World Wide Web page, called The Body, is dedicated entirely to AIDS. Located at http://www.thebody.com, this Internet site is intended to be a place where AIDS patients and others can obtain information, talk with others, and organize politically. In addition, by using the Web's link capabilities, The Body acts as a directory to the variety of AIDS resources already online. Such groups as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, People for the American Way, and Johns Hopkins University AIDS Service will provide the site's contents. "Fired Nurse Sues Center over HIV Case" Houston Chronicle (10/27/95) P. 35A A Texas nurse filed a federal lawsuit against a surgical facility on Thursday, alleging that she was dismissed from the center after testing HIV-positive. Jane Doe says she learned of her HIV status in January when she took a blood test that is part of standard prenatal care. According to the suit, Doe's supervisor at Surgicare, Karen Hatley, told her to take off as much time as she needed to deal with the shock. Doe claims she did take off two weeks, and then called her supervisor to say she would be back in a few days. Hatley allegedly said that Doe would have to meet with the facility's administrator before she could be cleared to return. However, instead of setting a meeting with the administrator, who was then out of town, the supervisor called Doe the next day and fired her for excessive absenteeism. The suit claims that Hatley said that Doe had been absent more than three days in a six-month period, but Doe's lawyer says that other non-HIV-infected Surgicare employees had been absent more than three days without being let go. "Indonesian Company Sends Away Thais with AIDS" Reuters (10/29/95) Thai seamen applying for jobs at an Indonesian fishing company must provide certificates stating that they do not have AIDS, the official Antara news agency reported. "We are very aware of the danger of AIDS," explained Johan Sanggelorang, director of PT Istana Samudera. Officials in the Fakfak region of Irian Jaya province, the location of the company's headquarters, blame the Thai seamen for spreading HIV in the area. "As Threat Grows, China Launches Anti-AIDS Drive" Reuters (10/28/95) China's Health Ministry announced on Saturday a new long-term anti-AIDS campaign, and admitted that the spread of the disease was likely greater than officials have said. The official Guangming Daily reported that health authorities estimate that the country has up to 100,000 HIV-infected persons, a figure often quoted by specialists in private yet never published. Still, the ministry's official count of HIV cases is only 2,428, of whom 77 have AIDS. Experts say that those numbers are almost meaningless and could be dangerously deceptive, reflecting poor reporting and misdiagnosis instead of an accurate account of the epidemic in China. The health ministry announced it was adopting seven new AIDS-related policies, including the creation of a national committee to increase AIDS prevention and control. China's largest anti-AIDS effort will be a weeklong campaign to mark World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, and will use pamphlets, posters, and videotapes to educate Chinese on how to protect themselves. "Indonesia and Australia Sign AIDS Agreement" Reuters (10/30/95) Indonesia and Australia have signed a memorandum of understanding for an AIDS prevention and care campaign worth A$20.2 million, or US$15.3 million, according to the Australian embassy. Ambassador Allan Taylor said that in addition to the national AIDS commission of Jakarta, the effort would support projects in Bali, East Nusa Tenggara, and South Sulawesi provinces. The memorandum, which also pertains to other sexually transmitted diseases, was signed by Taylor and Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Azwar Anas. "Asian Child Prostitution on Rise Despite New Laws" Reuters (10/29/95); McIntosh, Alistair Experts claim that child abuse in Asia is increasing despite a number of new laws and a growing international awareness of pedophilia. The most frequently cited reason for child prostitution is poverty, though other factors include misguided beliefs about AIDS, a breakdown of traditional social values, and corrupt law enforcers. "Child prostitution is increasing in Asia," said Dolores Alforte, Philippine coordinator for End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism, an international pressure group. "We can now simply say that there are more than a million children in prostitution in Asia alone," she added. A UNICEF official in Bangkok noted that one factor in the industry's continued growth is the belief that "fresh young women" do not have AIDS. AIDS is also the reason why increasingly younger children are being abused, said Maureen Seneviratne, chairman of Sri Lanka's Protecting Environment and Children Everywhere. "HIV-Positive Man Doesn't Tell; Partner Gets Infected, Pregnant" American Medical News (10/16/95) Vol. 38, No. 39, P. 26 The conviction and sentencing of a man for intentionally exposing a woman to HIV was upheld by the Louisiana appellate court. He was rejected as a plasma donor when his blood tested positive for the disease, but he did not inform his girlfriend although they continued to have sexual intercourse. She became pregnant in February 1990, and the couple stopped using condoms. When the woman tested positive in March 1992 for HIV and her current boyfriend tested negative, she realized the father of her child was to blame and filed a criminal complaint. The man appealed after his conviction by a trial court, asserting a number of errors in the trial court's judgment. The man claimed that his test results should have been suppressed as evidence, that the statute under which he was convicted was vague, and that the state failed to prove the woman did not consent to intercourse. The court answered all these claims and held that the man had acted with complete disregard for the health of the woman. The court also denied his claim that his 10-year sentence was excessive; the penalty for knowingly exposing a person to AIDS is between five and 20 years. "Streptococcus Pneumoniae Resistant to Penicillin and Tetracycline Associated With HIV Seropositivity" Lancet (10/14/95) Vol. 346, No. 8981, P. 1034; Paul, John; Kimari, Joseph; Gilks, Charles F. A prospective study of community-acquired pneumonia was undertaken between April to September 1992 in Nairobi to investigate the relation between antibiotic-resistant pneumococci and HIV infection. Pneumococci were isolated from specimens obtained from 87 patients upon admittance to a hospital in Nairobi who exhibited clinical and radiological features typical of pneumococcal pneumonia. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) to penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol were determined to define susceptibility. Antibody status to HIV was determined with Wellcozyme VK 56 HIV 1 ELISA; 52 percent of patients had antibody to HIV-1, while 48 percent were HIV-seronegative. Resistance rates for penicillin, tetracycline, erythromycin, and chloramphenicol were 17 percent, 29 percent, zero percent, and six percent, respectively. The rates were higher in HIV-positive patients than in HIV-negative patients with a ratio of 27 percent to seven percent for penicillin and 40 percent to 17 percent for tetracycline. The association of antibiotic-resistant invasive pneumococcal disease with HIV infection is an important public health concern in a low-income country where HIV infection is widespread and many therapies are too expensive. "A Randomized Study of the Clinical Effects of Initiating or Changing Antiretroviral Therapy Based on Plasma HIV RNA Quantitation Compared with Initiating or Changing Therapy Based on Current Clinical Practice Alone" AIDS Clinical Trials Database (08/17/95) In a randomized study known as CPCRA 036, researchers at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will compare the efficacy of two antiretroviral therapy decision-making processes. Decision making based only on current clinical practice (CCP) will be contrasted against decision making based on plasma HIV RNA quantitation plus CCP. In addition, the scientists will assess toxicity, biological markers, and patient management found in the two strategies. All patients in the RNA group and some of those in the CCP unit will have a plasma HIV RNA quantitation drawn every four months, and CD4 counts will be obtained at that frequency if the previous count was less than 20. The remaining CCP patients will have their CD4 levels determined following their clinicians' CCPs. It has been theorized that measuring HIV RNA in plasma could help determine the efficacy of clinical drugs. But it is still not certain whether aggressive antiretroviral treatment to reduce HIV RNA and maintain low volumes for as long as possible will result in clinical benefit as compared to management based on monitoring CD4 levels and symptoms related to HIV.