Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Tue Feb 4 07:31:03 PST 1997 (194 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 4, 1997 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC. 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 ****************************************************** "Should Preventive HIV Treatment Be Expanded?" "Twists and Turns in Chimp AIDS Research" "Evidence Mounts in Favor of 'Triple Therapy' Against AIDS Virus" "No Needles" "Unlock Family Planning Funds" "Assisted Suicide Bill Advances" "Mandela Urges Global Effort to Fight AIDS" "Mexicans Bringing AIDS Back Home From U.S." "Threat of AIDS Looms Over Sevastopol on Black Sea" "Federal Foolishness and Marijuana" "Attention to Magnesium Levels" ****************************************************** "Should Preventive HIV Treatment Be Expanded?" Washington Post--Health (02/04/97) P. 13; Okie, Susan Although health care workers who are accidentally exposed to HIV on the job are routinely offered antiviral drugs to reduce their risk of infection, this option is not generally extended to people who are accidentally exposed to the virus through sex. Health officials are now considering expanding the treatment for certain sexual exposures--like when a condom breaks, or exposure during rape. David Bell, chief of the HIV infections branch of the hospital infections program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, notes, "We get calls from rape crisis centers, and the CDC AIDS hotline has been getting calls" from people concerned about infection after possible exposure during a high-risk sexual encounter or when a condom breaks. At some San Francisco hospitals and clinics, health officials plan to offer the preventive treatment starting this spring. The drugs are already offered to rape victims at a clinic at British Columbia's Women's Hospital. After an HIV exposure, the CDC currently recommends immediate treatment with a combination of zidovudine (AZT) and lamivudine (3TC) (or in some cases indinavir). Over the coming months, the agency will develop recommendations for preventive treatment for some kinds of sexual exposure. "Twists and Turns in Chimp AIDS Research" New York Times (02/04/97) P. C9; Berreby, David Although AIDS researchers were reluctant to infect chimpanzees with HIV for study in the 1980s, they thought the animals would prove useful models for the disease and that they would not suffer long. However, after 13 years, only one chimp has died, and a only few others have developed AIDS. Jerom, first infected in 1985, died last year, and Nathan and two other chimps, who received blood from Jerom, are now being carefully watched. "It's going to be interesting to look at what happened to Jerom and what's happening in Nathan and what possibly is happening in other chimps and try to correlate that with humans," said Dr. Frank Noviembre, of Yerkes Regional Primate Center in Atlanta. The researchers are examining HIV infection through different routes, and hope to use the results in vaccine development. "Evidence Mounts in Favor of 'Triple Therapy' Against AIDS Virus" Washington Post--Health (02/04/97) P. 13; Brown, David New research suggests that a combination of three anti-HIV drugs, including a protease inhibitor, can reduce the level of virus in the body's large reservoir of lymphoid tissues. Research presented at the recent Fourth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Washington revealed that triple therapy reduced the virus, albeit very slowly, in the lymph nodes, tonsils, and other lymphoid tissue. To determine whether HIV can be completely eradicated from the body, some patients who have been on combination therapy for almost two years and have no sign of HIV in their bodies, may stop treatment after three years. In other AIDS news presented at the meeting, researchers from Vancouver, British Columbia, reported that neither needle exchange programs nor easy access to medical care were enough to stop very risky behavior in drug users. In a study of 600 injection drug users who were participating in a needle exchange program and were provided with free medical care and drug treatment, 59 percent said they had borrowed a needle in the previous six months and 39 percent of those who knew they had HIV said they shared needles. "No Needles" Investor's Business Daily (02/03/97) P. A4; Benko, Laura B. Washington, D.C.'s, Whitman-Walker Clinic, one of the United States' oldest AIDS testing centers, will completely replace conventional HIV blood tests with new oral fluid tests made by Epitope. The test, sold as OraSure, collects oral fluid known as oral mucosal transudate from between a patient's cheek and gum. The sample is then sent to a lab for testing. Research shows that OraSure, approved by the Food and Drug Administration in June, is more than 99.9 percent accurate. The test eliminates the risk of infection when needles are used to draw blood and is easier for people who are uncomfortable with having blood drawn. "Unlock Family Planning Funds" New York Times (02/04/97) P. A22 Congress should release funds for international family planning programs starting March 1, rather than debating the issue and stalling the programs, according to a New York Times editorial. Due to anti-abortion tactics, funding for non-controversial birth control was reduced from $548 million in 1995 to $356 million in 1996. Congress allocated $385 million for 1997 but delayed its distribution until July, unless the administration could prove that the reductions were harmful. The administration has reported that 17 of 95 foreign programs may be discontinued, and that funding cuts will lead to "increased unintended pregnancies, more abortions, higher numbers of maternal and infant deaths and, of course, more births." "Assisted Suicide Bill Advances" Richmond Times-Dispatch (02/03/97) P. A8; Intress, Ruth S. Members of a Virginia Senate committee approved a proposed bill on Monday that would make assisted suicide a civil offense punishable by a fine of up to $100,000. Under the bill, sponsored by Republican Sen. Mark L. Earley, doctors found guilty of aiding in a suicide would permanently lose their medical licenses. "Mandela Urges Global Effort to Fight AIDS" Reuters (02/03/97) Nelson Mandela, president of South Africa, told participants at the World Economic Forum on Monday that a worldwide effort against AIDS was needed. "The AIDS pandemic is getting worse at a rate that makes a collective global effort imperative," he said. More than 6,000 people are infected with HIV around the world each day, Mandela said, noting that the disease is creating economic problems by affecting people in their prime years. "Mexicans Bringing AIDS Back Home From U.S." Reuters (02/03/97) Mexican immigrants who contract HIV in the United States are spreading the disease when they return to their rural hometowns to visit, warned Health Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente on Monday. Many of the immigrants do not know they are infected, or prefer to hide it, making the problem worse. "Mexican society has still not shaken off the stigma" of AIDS, de la Fuente said. "Threat of AIDS Looms Over Sevastopol on Black Sea" Itar Wire Service (01/28/97) The Ukrainian Health Ministry reports that in Sevastopol, located on the Black Sea coast, there were 26 registered cases of HIV infection and one case of AIDS as of Jan. 1, 1997. The total number of AIDS cases in the region, known as the Crimea, is about 1,000, including 300 added last year. Drug users represent nearly two-thirds of all cases. "Federal Foolishness and Marijuana" New England Journal of Medicine (01/30/97) Vol. 336, No. 5, P. 366; Kassirer, Jerome P. The federal government's opposition to state laws that allow the medicinal use of marijuana is unreasonable, hypocritical, and incongruous with public opinion, says Dr. Jerome P. Kassirer in a New England Journal of Medicine editorial. He points out that thousands of patients with AIDS, cancer, and other serious illnesses claim that marijuana provides relief from nausea and pain, and that more dangerous drugs, like morphine, are prescribed legally. Kassirer also criticizes the government's demand that scientific studies prove the medical merit of marijuana, noting that nausea and pain are difficult to study in controlled experiments. He says that marijuana's merit for the seriously ill is established by the fact that patients say it relieves their symptoms. Moreover, he argues, concerns about long-term side effects and addiction are not "relevant" issues in seriously ill patients. Kassirer adds that the public has already demonstrated its support for legalized medical marijuana through state initiatives and polls. In conclusion, Kassirer recommends that the government make marijuana a Schedule 2 drug, which indicates that it is potentially addictive but has some accepted medical use, and allow physicians to decide which patients to treat. "Attention to Magnesium Levels" Nutrition for Life (01/97) Vol. 2, No. 1, P. 1 Researchers have found that magnesium, which is critical for efficient energy production and protein synthesis, is not adequately consumed by up to half of HIV-positive people tested. Two reasons for this may be that the anti-PCP drug Bactrim interferes with magnesium metabolism and diarrhea also impedes absorption. Symptoms of magnesium deficiency include muscle weakness, depression, and dizziness. Insufficient magnesium levels can also contribute to low calcium levels. Foods high in magnesium include whole grains, legumes, and leafy green vegetables. One regular chocolate bar provides 30 mg, or about 10 percent of what is recommended. The recommended daily allowance of magnesium is 280 mg for women and 350 mg for men.