Subject: CDC Summary 3/15/93 Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1993 20:38:57 PST (248 lines) Archive-Number: 407 From: Billi Goldberg Note: Copyright 1993, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed. sold. Copyright 1992, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary March 15, 1993 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. Copyright 1992, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ==================================================================== "AIDS Policy Director Post Put 'On Hold' as President Ponders Duties, Details" Washington Post (03/15/93), P. A17 (Kamen, Al) The federal "AIDS czar" position still has not been filled, largely because it is unclear how President Clinton wants it to function. Decisions are still being made regarding job descriptions, duties, authority, staff, and office location. It is undetermined, for example, whether the White House or Health and Human Services will house the post. The AIDS czar is expected to be part of the domestic policy staff, working under domestic policy adviser Carol Rasco. However, Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will most likely have some control over that operation and has been screening candidates. Those who are being considered for the AIDS czar position include Kristine M. Gebbie, former director of the Washington state health department; Mark D. Smith, vice president of the Kaiser Family Foundation; Lee Smith, vice president of Levi Strauss Co.; and New York City Health Commissioner Margaret Hamburg. ==================================================================== "Warnings of HIV Didn't Spare Gang Rape Victim" Chicago Tribune (03/12/93), P. 1-3 (Sloan, Paul) A woman who was recently raped warned the attackers that she was infected with HIV, said police. Gary Police Detective William Burns said Thursday, "They slapped her in the face and told her she was just saying that to get them to stop." However, she wasn't just saying it, she actually was HIV-positive. People who work with rape victims say that it is not unusual for rapists not to believe a claim from a victim, such as being HIV-positive. The woman told police she was walking to a store on March 5 when she was asked for directions by a man. Consequently, he shoved a 3-inch pocket knife against her abdomen and forced her into a car. She was taken to a house in Gary, and there she said she was raped repeatedly and given no food or drink for more than two days. She was beaten several times, hit in the face, back, and stomach. Finally, about 64 hours later, the attackers released her. One of the attackers, Michael Petty, has been charged with rape and confinement. The other men are still being sought by police. A national poll of rape-crisis counselors conducted last fall discovered that being infected with HIV was the fastest-growing concern among rape victims. However, the chance of a rapist contracting the virus from the victim is minimal, experts say. Women are nine times more likely to contract the virus from a man than vice versa, according to some studies. Dr. Ron Sable, a co-founder of the AIDS program at Cook County Hospital in Illinois, said the risk could be greater in a rape because the violence involved might prompt injuries. ==================================================================== "MD Suspended 2 Months in HIV Case" Toronto Globe and Mail (03/12/93), P. A6 (Mickleburgh, Rod and Downey, Donn) A Toronto physician who neglected to tell one of his patients that the patient was infected with HIV has been given two reprimands and a provisional, two-month suspension of his medical license after being found guilty late last year of professional misconduct. The charges against Stanley Bain, a former president of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, were a result of his treatment of patient Kenneth Pittman, who died not knowing he had contracted HIV through a tainted blood transfusion. While Dr. Bain knew that Pittman might have received HIV-tainted blood, he refused to tell his patient because he believed the news would devastate him. In addition, he believed that Pittman was not having sexual relations with his wife, when he actually was. Pittman subsequently tested HIV-positive. The college disciplinary committee which heard the case said Dr. Bain failed his patient "in two crucial respects," by not seeking advice from AIDS experts before making his decision and by not making sure Pittman had not infected others. The committee demanded that two reprimands be recorded against Dr. Bain--one for not telling Pittman about his possible condition, and another for neglecting to inform public health officials about his potential HIV status, as required by the province's Health Protection Act. ==================================================================== Ottawa to Spend $211-Million in Battle Against AIDS" Toronto Globe and Mail (03/12/93), P. A7 (York, Geoffrey) The Canadian government will allot $211 million for AIDS education and research over the next five years--an increase from what it was spending earlier, but much less than the amount suggested by AIDS experts. The government has agreed to spend $42.2 million annually to fight AIDS, compared to an average of $37.3 million in each of the past three years. Health Minister Benoit Bouchard said, "It's never enough, I understand that, but it's what we can do. It's about a 10-percent increase, which is maybe modest, but we have to keep in mind the pressures on the system for many other diseases." Bouchard said the additional funds are a major commitment by the government "at a time of serious economic restraint," when other departments are expected to cut their budgets. However, the government's decision was immediately assailed by AIDS groups and opposition politicians who requested a minimum of $55 million in annual spending on AIDS. The new five-year plan calls for the government to spend $6.2 million a year on prevention education, $17.8 million on AIDS research, $9.8 million for community organizations, $5.4 million for care and treatment, and $3 million for coordination and other efforts. Dr. Martin Schecter, national co-director of the Canadian Association for HIV Research, said he was displeased with Bouchard's announcement, but said the move is "a good first step" for the government's AIDS efforts. ==================================================================== "Being Rational About AIDS" Washington Post (03/14/93), P. C7 (Will, George F.) If personal behavior is altered, the AIDS epidemic will resultingly be curbed, writes columnist George F. Will. In the United States, the epidemic is largely centralized in perhaps 30 neighborhoods nationwide. If there is change in behavior in those locations, then the epidemic will be thwarted. AIDS has been particularly troubling because the country had come to believe that it was no longer susceptible to mass infectious disease. "But modernity actually abetted the epidemic," says Will. The spread of the disease has been aided by homosexuality, prostitution, and drug use--all related to behavior. And much of this high-risk behavior is highly prevalent in a few small areas. A New York Times article published last week stated that the AIDS epidemic "can be all but stamped out," without a wonder drug or vaccine, if risky behavior is changed. The approach would involve concentrating on the prevention of such behavior in 25 to 30 neighborhoods nationwide, in such cities as New York, Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston, Newark, and Camden, N.J. But the article said that among the measures public health officials want to implement in those neighborhoods are some that many conservatives object to, including clean needle exchanges and explicit sex education. Nevertheless, political hindrances to rational AIDS policies involve much more than just conservatism. Therefore, until there is an abundance of AIDS treatments, the epidemic will remain less a scientific challenge than a test of personal behavior, concludes Will. ==================================================================== "City Health Center Opens Family [AIDS] Clinic" PR Newswire (03/10/93) Philadelphia--A $110,000 check was expected to be presented to the Strawberry Mansion Health Center in Philadelphia on Friday in support of the Care Plus Clinic, a new program designed to serve families affected by HIV/AIDS in North Philadelphia. Alicia Beatty Tee, project director for The Circle of Care, a Philadelphia-based group coordinating services to families affected by HIV/AIDS, was to present the check at an open house for the Care Plus Clinic. Tee said, "With the opening of the Care Plus Clinic, Philadelphia is leading the way in establishing community-based, cost-effective, and convenient programs to serve women and their families who are affected by [AIDS]." Esther Chernak, M.D., project director for the Care Plus Clinic, said, "Given the city's funding crisis, we couldn't have opened this clinic without support from The Circle of Care." Currently, the Care Plus Clinic serves 12 families. The services provided include primary health care, prenatal and well-baby care, a family support group, family planning, HIV counseling and testing, and education on prevention. The Circle of Care, established in 1990, coordinates health and social services to more than 430 Philadelphia families affected by the disease. ==================================================================== "AIDS May Be Treatable With Antibodies From Other Disease" PR Newswire (03/12/93) Atlanta--An antibody extracted from people with mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) can slow the infection rate of HIV, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Southern California--Los Angeles Medical Center. MCTD is an immune system ailment which causes the body to mistake normal proteins for foreign invaders. This disease incorrectly incites the production of potent antibodies. MCTD induces the body to mistakenly produce massive amounts of antibodies against a protein called 70K, which closely resembles a protein of HIV. Dr. Angeline Douvas and her colleagues at the medical center took the antibodies from people with MCTD and used them to attack the similar HIV protein. In laboratory tests, antibodies from individuals with MCTD initially produced to react to 70K successfully attacked proteins found on the surface of HIV. Douvas told rheumatologists attending a meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in Denver, "This discovery is particularly encouraging for combating [AIDS] in pregnant women who are HIV-positive, where we hope to slow the infection to prevent the virus from spreading from mother to fetus." She added, "The infection-slowing process of these antibodies may also be useful treatment for adults with [AIDS]." Douvas hopes to eventually produce the antibody in the laboratory, creating an endless supply of the infection-slowing protein, as well as obtaining antibodies from human donors. ==================================================================== "CDC Reports False-Positive Blood Tests" United Press International (03/12/93) Atlanta--A study has verified previous findings that associate flu shots with false-positive test results for three diseases, including HIV infection. The Centers for Disease Control reported Thursday that there is "no risk of contracting any viral infection" from flu vaccines, but they may result in false-positive tests for HIV, HTLV-1, and hepatitis C. The link between recent influenza immunizations and temporary false-positive tests for antibodies to multiple viruses was first reported in 1991. The federal agency said test kits for hepatitis C and HIV were changed early last year to reduce the possibility of false positive results. But similar changes have not been used for HTLV-1 test kits. The most recent study conducted by the American Red Cross linked 15 flu vaccinations with false positive tests for HTLV-1, but there were no false-positive test results for HIV. The study was conducted in the Badger region, which includes parts of Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. ==================================================================== "Suit Seeks to Exclude AIDS Health Coverage" National Law Journal (03/15/93) Vol. 15, No. 28, P. 6 Attorneys for a health benefits plan filed a lawsuit on March 1 that seeks a declaration that its exclusion of coverage for HIV/AIDS- related conditions does not infringe upon the Americans With Disabilities Act. According to some lawyers, their approach--seeking a declaratory judgment rather than appealing a previous ruling by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission--is quite unusual. Roger M. Levin of New York's Levin & Weissman, who represents the welfare fund, expects to defeat a decision by the regional office of the EEOC, which in January determined that the fund had violated the ADA by refusing to pay for Terrence Donaghey Jr.'s medical expenses for HIV- related treatments. Under the suit, the court should determine that the self-funded plan's exclusion was allowed under an exemption to the ADA. Donaghey's attorney, Cary LaCheney of New York Lawyers for the Public Interest Inc.., said that Levin could just as well have submitted an appeal with the EEOC. "He's obviously doing everything he can to head this off at the pass," she said. LaCheney also said she will look into the issue of whether the suit is premature. David A. Copus of the Washington, D.C., office of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue, a leading expert on the ADA who represents management, said, "An answer finding that this is a violation of the law would radically transform the provision of health care in this country." ==================================================================== "Impact of New Legislation on Needle and Syringe Purchase and Possession--Connecticut, 1992" Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (03/05/93) Vol. 42, No. 8, P. 145 The episodes of needle and syringe sharing among IV-drug users decreased after new Connecticut laws were enacted July 1, 1992, which were designed to help reduce the rate of HIV-infection among this population. The laws allow the purchase and possession of up to 10 needles and syringes (NSs) without a prescription. During August- November 1992, staff members at three HIV counseling and testing sites, two correctional facilities, and two drug-treatment centers in Connecticut interviewed active IV-drug users. Among the 124 active IV- drug users surveyed, 68 (55 percent) reported they were aware they could both purchase and possess clean NSs. Another 26 (21 percent) IV- drug users were aware they could legally purchase NSs but did not know they could legally possess them. About 41 percent of the IV-drug users reported purchasing NSs from a pharmacy during August-October, whereas only 19 percent did so during June. Those IV-drug users buying NSs during June may have had diabetes, made illegal pharmacy purchases, or recalled inaccurately their purchasing during that time. Fewer IV-drug users reported purchasing NSs on the street during August-October (59 percent) than during June (74 percent); four IV-drug users reported they began purchasing and 24 reported they did not purchase on the street. Four focus groups were held in Hartford, Conn., in Nov. 1992 with a total of 34 active IV-drug users to address issues regarding NS use and purchasing practices. About two-thirds of the IV-drug users attending the meetings were aware that clean NS possession was legal and reported they were now more apt to possess NSs with them on the street.