Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Tue, 13 Feb 1996 11:33:35 PST (220 lines of text) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 13, 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 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 1996, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD ************************************************************ "U.S.-Industry Blueprint Is Drawn to Smooth Way for AIDS Vaccine" "French Bishop Supports Some Use of Condoms to Prevent AIDS" "Morrison Confirms HIV Result" "Fear of AIDS Is No Reason to Avoid Dentist" "Cuts May Curb Street Wars on STDs" "Boxer's HIV Wouldn't Have Been Detected in California" "Across the USA: Nevada" "DHEA and AIDS" "AIDS Task Force Fizzles Out" "Where There's Smoke There Must Be Fire" ************************************************************ "U.S.-Industry Blueprint Is Drawn to Smooth Way for AIDS Vaccine" New York Times (02/13/96) P. C3; Altman, Lawrence K. Federal health officials released on Monday a plan for more collaboration between the private and public sectors to facilitate the development of an AIDS vaccine. A major goal is to improve the poor market conditions that discourage biotechnology companies from pursuing an HIV vaccine. The plan will call for specific steps that must be completed to move a vaccine toward licensing. One such criteria could be that patients in the vaccine trials could have to develop certain types of antibodies. More than 20 HIV vaccines have been tested in the first two stages of experiments, but none have reached the third stage. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said it will be years before the first AIDS vaccine is licensed. Industry representatives want a partnership with the government because they say a clinical trial of an experimental HIV vaccine is a business risk. Under the plan, the government would do the basic research and industry would use the results to develop a vaccine. Related Stories: Washington Times (02/13/96) P. A3; USA Today (02/13/96) P. 6D; Baltimore Sun (02/13/96) P. 3A; Philadelphia Inquirer (02/13/96) P. A2 "French Bishop Supports Some Use of Condoms to Prevent AIDS" New York Times (02/13/96) P. A5; Whitney, Craig R. A French Roman Catholic bishop's committee published a report on Monday that suggested that the use of condoms could be justified in some cases to prevent the spread of AIDS. This new policy contradicts the Vatican's general policy of condemning most methods of birth control. The report generally agreed with the church's emphasis on abstinence and its view on birth control, but some experts in France said the report's suggestion of using condoms broke with the official Roman Catholic position. Bishop Albert Rouet wrote in his discussion of the report by the Social Committee of the French episcopate that "many competent doctors maintain that a condom is the only means of prevention." The report also cited the French government's public health campaign to educate young people about using condoms to prevent the spread of HIV. Related Stories: Washington Post (02/13/96) P. A15; Philadelphia Inquirer (02/13/96) P. A2; Washington Times (02/13/96) P. A13; Financial Times (02/13/96) P. 2 "Morrison Confirms HIV Result" Washington Post (02/13/96) P. E1; Gildea, William Heavyweight boxer Tommy Morrison tested positive for HIV, his promoter confirmed Monday. The fighter, who was featured in "Rocky V" and appeared on television talk shows, learned of the test result before his scheduled fight Saturday in Las Vegas. He was suspended from the fight, but the reason was not announced at the time. Morrison did not attend the news conference, but in a statement asked for prayers for children with HIV, not for himself. "I feel it would be selfish to ask you to say a prayer for me," he said through a statement. The positive results raised concerns among the boxing community about others who had come into contact with Morrison. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the risk of contracting the virus in a fight was very low. There is no boxing policy regarding a fighter's eligibility based on his HIV status. Related Stories: New York Times (02/13/96) P. B9; Washington Times (02/13/96) P. B1 "Fear of AIDS Is No Reason to Avoid Dentist" Boston Globe (02/12/96) P. 37; Foreman, Judy James Sharpe is suing his dentist, Anthony Breglio, for infecting him with HIV while extracting his teeth. Breglio soaked his tools in chemicals to control infection at the time. Infection control experts say the fear of getting HIV from a dentist is unrealistic. There has not been any documented cases of a person getting HIV from dental equipment. In Florida, dentist David Acer, who had AIDS, was accused of infecting six patients with HIV, but federal health officials were never able to prove the mode of transmission. In the face of such dangers, however, dentists have been taking greater precautions. The American Dental Association recommended in 1992 that dentists heat sterilize instruments between patients, and a survey last year found that 92.5 percent of all dentist do. Meanwhile, although some dentists still use chemicals to sterilize equipment, this method may miss some parts of the instruments. "Cuts May Curb Street Wars on STDs" Washington Post--Health (02/13/96) P. 14; Gilonna, John M. As the rates of sexually transmitted diseases rise, the number of government health officials is declining due to congressional efforts to give state and local agencies more responsibility. The Los Angeles County Health Department has been cut by a third in the past three years. Budget cuts in the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have trickled down to their staff. The Los Angeles disease intervention specialists track down, notify, and sometimes treat people who have been exposed to venereal diseases ranging from AIDS to herpes to syphilis or hepatitis B. The workers take blood from people they believe have been infected and then notify them of their test results. The CDC recognizes the cuts, but says that community-based providers should help fill the void. "Boxer's HIV Wouldn't Have Been Detected in California" Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (02/13/96) P. A1; Springer, Steve; Gustkey, Earl In California, boxers are not required to take an HIV test, although Bill Eastman, chairman of the state's athletic commission, has been trying to implement the test through legislation for three years. Heavyweight Tommy Morrison was suspended from a fight in Las Vegas Saturday because Nevada's mandatory test came out positive. Eastman says that lawmakers have been too concerned about being politically correct to seek a mandatory HIV test in California. Only in Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Arizona is the test required. Anyone who comes into contact with an HIV-carrier could be at some risk. Since 1988, when Nevada began testing, 2,100 boxers were tested and only two--including Morrison--have tested positive. Robert Karns, chairman of the physicians' advisory committee of the California athletic commission, says the chances of getting HIV in the ring are small, and added that he could probably still get fighters to go up against Morrison, given the right incentive. "Across the USA: Nevada" USA Today (02/13/96) P. 7A In Reno, Nevada, an anti-brothel group says it will sue to get the names of current and past prostitutes from the state's 35 legal bordellos. The group wants to compare the names with those of street hookers who have tested positive for HIV. Brothel owners say no legal prostitute has ever had the virus. "DHEA and AIDS" AIDS Treatment News (01/19/96) No.239, P. 5; James, John S. There is mounting concern that the hormone DHEA, which is chemically related to testosterone and estrogen, may be banned in the United States because it might be misused by athletes to build muscle. The popular product has been available for at least the last seven years in some AIDS buyers' clubs. Clinical trials have shown DHEA to have potential in the treatment of lupus and for improving the quality of life in healthy elderly people who had a natural decrease of the hormone. Almost no reports of harmful effects of DHEA were found in the medical literature. People with AIDS have lower levels of DHEA, but that may increase with AZT use. Early studies have shown that abnormally low levels of DHEA in HIV-infected persons were associated with progression to AIDS and that DHEA itself may have some antiviral activity. One small clinical trial that tested DHEA as a potential HIV treatment found some benefit, including CD4 cell count increases of more than 25 percent. In studies with lupus, DHEA has been shown to improve the production of IL-2, which is otherwise reduced as a result of the disease. While IL-2 has increased CD4 levels in some AIDS patients, it also increases the growth of HIV. Currently, there is little evidence of particular benefit in HIV disease related to DHEA. However, DHEA replacement is a technique that should be considered in AIDS patients with extremely low DHEA levels, along with good antiviral therapy, to see if DHEA causes a CD4 increase. "AIDS Task Force Fizzles Out" Science (01/26/96) Vol.271, No.5248, P. 438; Cohen, Jon The National Task Force on AIDS Drug Development was created in November 1993 by the Clinton Administration, with a promise from Donna Shalala, the secretary of the Health and Human Services that it would "identify and remove any barriers or obstacles to developing effective treatments." Now that the group has dissolved, members say that many such obstacles still stand, like the lack of financial incentives for pharmaceutical companies to develop AIDS drugs. They also say that what improvements have been made were not a result of the task force, like the lifting of barriers at the Food and Drug Administration. Harold Varmus, director of the National Institutes of Health, says that the group stimulated "new dialogues," but did not accomplish much of substance. As other groups now attempt to make a difference, the task force'e demise should show them that clear goals, strong support, and commitment to action are needed. Some of the major problems the task force encountered were government bureaucracy, the requirement to open all meetings to the public, and lackluster support from the Clinton Administration. "Where There's Smoke There Must Be Fire" POZ (02/96-03/96) No.12, P. 52; Forster, Evan M. Kioshi Kuromiya--a 52-year old Japanese-American AIDS treatment activist who was active in the civil rights and anti-war movements in the 1960s--moved to Philadelphia from his family's home in California because he did not want to "disgrace the family" by being gay. While attending the University of Pennsylvania, he founded the Gay Liberation Front, organized press conferences on Asian issues, and supported the Black Panthers and women's rights organizations. Today Kuromiya serves on the AIDS Research Evaluation Working Group, a National Institutes of Health panel that reviews the $1.4 billion federal AIDS research program. He advocates "alternative therapies like gene therapy and treatments in wide use in the community such as medical marijuana." Kuromiya says marijuana helps combat wasting syndrome, by increasing one's appetite and nutritional intake. In 1988 he helped found a multicultural organization called We The People, now the country's largest PWA membership coalition. Kuromiya's time is nearly completely devoted to helping people. At home he takes calls and answers e-mail from people asking questions about AIDS treatments 24 hours a day.