Date: Mon, 25 Nov 1996 18:44:38 -0500 From: "Flynn Mclean" Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary 11/21/96 AIDS Daily Summary November 21, 1996 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 National AIDS Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC National AIDS Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ****************************************************** "Seeking Assurance From a $40 Kit" "Haven for AIDS Patients" "Across the USA: Connecticut, Vermont" "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AIDS Now [Declining]" "Condom Sales Boom in Mali" "FDA Conducting Inspections of New York Blood Centers" "140 People Found HIV-Positive in Macao" "New Health Standards Issued in Tanzania" "AIDS Researcher Loses Libel Fight Against French Newspaper" "Accentuating the Positive" ****************************************************** "Seeking Assurance From a $40 Kit" New York Times (11/21/96) P. D1; Canedy, Dana Home HIV test kits, made by Home Access Health and Johnson & Johnson, are being marketed with distinct campaigns aimed at gay men, teenagers, and heterosexual adults in publications targeting each of these populations. Despite the relatively high cost of the tests, the anonymity they offer is attractive to many consumers, said Dave Mulryan of the Mulryan Nash advertising agency in New York. The Home Access kit costs $39.95 in stores and $49.95 by mail, while the Johnson and Johnson test costs $35 to $40 in stores and $49.95 by mail. After years of opposition from the Food and Drug Administration, the tests gained approval last summer, but critics are now attacking the companies' marketing tactics and question the reliability of telephone counseling for customers who test positive. "Haven for AIDS Patients" Baltimore Sun (11/21/96) P. 3B; Imhoff, Ernest F. Baltimore's AIDS Interfaith Residential Services (AIRS) organization provides housing and services to single adults and families with AIDS. The first AIRS house opened in 1988 and has been home to 72 people, and three additional AIRS houses opened this year. Using a $1 million grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development, AIRS and the St. Ambrose Housing Aid Center bought the houses, renovated them, and installed elevators and other equipment. The homes can accommodate up to 30 people. "Across the USA: Connecticut, Vermont" USA Today (11/21/96) P. 12A The Board of Selectmen in Windham, Conn., is requesting that the state end a six-year-old needle-exchange program on the grounds that discarded needles are littering the streets and parks. Separately, Vermont Gov. Dean spoke in opposition to efforts to legalize the medical use of marijuana, contending that better treatments are available. The Vermont Grassroots Party, which supports legalization, gained party major status in the recent election. "Science & Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AIDS Now [Declining]" PANA Wire Service (11/20/96) The rate of HIV infection in Zimbabwe's Manicaland province is declining, thanks to education programs and subsequent behavior changes, health officials reported. In addition, Diarmund McClean, medical officer of health for the Mutare city council, said the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhea and syphilis is decreasing. Currently, an estimated 30 percent of the adults in the province are HIV-positive. "Condom Sales Boom in Mali" Reuters (11/20/96) Condoms are being sold at an impressive rate in the West African state of Mali, according to the national committee against AIDS. A total of 2,265,926 condoms was reportedly sold in the first nine months of the year, compared to the 1,699,014 that were sold in all of 1995. "FDA Conducting Inspections of New York Blood Centers" Reuters (11/20/96) Two New York City blood centers are being investigated by the Food and Drug Administration for manipulating the results of tests for HIV, hepatitis, and other infectious diseases, New York Magazine reports. The article charges that the centers altered test results to allow them to provide more blood to area hospitals. The FDA has responded, saying the centers were not suspected of "approving tainted blood as clean, but rather compromising safety precautions by failing to follow appropriate procedures." The agency continues to inspect the centers regularly and said that "if we find there is an imminent hazard to the public health we can suspend operations at any blood center at any time." "140 People Found HIV-Positive in Macao" Xinhua News Agency (11/20/96) Of the 140 people in Macao found to be HIV-positive, 110 are non-Macao residents, public health officials reported. Most of the non-residents are women from Thailand working in the entertainment business. The public health department reported that it will continue regular checks of people in the entertainment industry and will advise those individuals who test positive to leave. The department will also observe "World Anti-AIDS Day" on Dec. 1 to enhance AIDS awareness among residents. "New Health Standards Issued in Tanzania" Xinhua News Agency (11/20/96) In hopes of improving health care there, the Tanzanian government released new guidelines on Wednesday for the country's governmental hospitals. Patients will be charged for half the cost of their care, with the government paying the rest, and medical consultation fees will no longer be allowed. Health minister Zakia Meghi said special cases, like AIDS, tuberculosis, and cancer, will still be treated at no charge. "AIDS Researcher Loses Libel Fight Against French Newspaper" Nature (11/07/96) Vol. 384, No. 6604, P. 10 The French Supreme Court of Appeal has dismissed Robert Gallo's libel and slander lawsuit against the French newspaper Le Monde. Gallo made the charges against the paper and journalist Frank Nouchi in relation to coverage of the conflict between Gallo and French researcher Luc Montagnier over claims on the discovery of HIV in 1991. Nouchi's articles, based on a draft report from the National Institutes of Health, allege that Gallo had "contradicted the most elementary rules of scientific communication," and that he had used the virus discovered by Montagnier to develop the U.S. HIV test. The Court ruled that Nouchi's research was "serious and profound," and Gallo was ordered to pay all legal expenses incurred by Le Monde. "Accentuating the Positive" Entertainment (11/08/96) No. 352, P. 54; Watson, Bret The HIV-positive character Jeanie Boulet on NBC's "ER," played by Gloria Reuben, is breaking new ground for prime time television by continuing her normal routine despite her infection. While other dramatic series have introduced AIDS story lines, the infected characters have typically become ill quickly. "ER" coexecutive producer Carol Flint noted, "That's not what we wanted. And it's turned out that our intentions are supported by what's going on right now in HIV treatment." NBC and Warner Bros. say no complaints have been filed about Reuben's character, who, as a physician assistant, works in the emergency room and has tried to keep her infection secret from co-workers and patients. In the show, Jeanie was infected by her ex-husband, who contracted HIV while having an affair. Observers in the health care community say they are glad to see Jeanie continuing to work in the hospital, especially since a general misconception holds that HIV-positive health care workers should not treat patients. Flint also points out that the program's objective is to show Jeanie continuing to live a meaningful and productive life.