Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary Date: Thu Feb 27 07:31:06 PST 1997 (188 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1997, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD AIDS Daily Summary February 27, 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 ****************************************************** "Lift the Federal Ban on Needle Exchange" "Across the USA: New Hampshire, California" "WHO Official Outlines Broad Range of World's Health Woes" "Med Society Backs Needle Plan" "Pediatrics Trials Groups Receive NIAID Funding" "Ukraine's Health Care Situation Is Grim, Minister [Reports]" "Life Expectancy Shortened in Sub-Sahara" "Patient Care Must Remain Priority in HIV Managed Care" "Is Bigger Better for Retrovirus Conference?" "The AIDS Crisis Is Over--For Me" ****************************************************** "Lift the Federal Ban on Needle Exchange" Washington Post (02/27/97) P. A20; Wolfe, Sidney M. While government agencies and government-funded studies have concluded that needle exchanges reduce the transmission of HIV among injection drug users and do not increase drug use, a ban on federal funding for such programs remains, notes Dr. Sidney M. Wolfe, director of Public Citizen's Health Research Group. In a letter to the editor of the Washington Post, Wolfe says the ban could be lifted by Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala, but that the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy continues to oppose the use of federal funds for needle exchanges. "Across the USA: New Hampshire, California" USA Today (02/27/97) P. 8A A proposal to establish needle-exchange programs in New Hampshire has been approved by the state House lawmakers. Similar plans proposed previously have failed in the legislature. Separately, in California, the first marijuana buyer's club is planned for Santa Clara County. Under a new medical marijuana law in the state, the club would provide the drug to people with AIDS and other serious illnesses. "WHO Official Outlines Broad Range of World's Health Woes" Richmond Times-Dispatch (02/27/97) P. B4; Santos, Carlos Officials from the World Health Organization met Wednesday with representatives of the University of Virginia and other health and government professionals to discuss the challenges of controlling the spread of diseases around the world. On the first day of the two-day conference, Dr. Yuji Kawaguchi, director of the Division of Interagency Affairs at WHO, described the toll diseases are taking on the world's population, especially in developing nations. Kawaguchi told participants that life expectancies in developed countries such as Japan are approaching 80 years, while in developing countries like Uganda, the life expectancy is slightly over 40 years. He also noted that 13 million to 15 million AIDS cases are reported around the world each year, many of which are in Africa. To reduce disease threats, Kawaguchi said, health considerations must be incorporated into the "center of national development" in developing nations. "Med Society Backs Needle Plan" United Press International (02/26/97) A bill being considered by the Illinois legislature that would allow drug users to purchase needles from pharmacies legally was endorsed Wednesday by the Illinois State Medical Society. The proposed legislation aims to reduce the spread of HIV and other diseases via contaminated needles. The measure was introduced earlier this year, and received approval from the medical group only after it was modified to allow the purchase of needles only with a doctor's prescription. Medical society officials had previously opposed the distribution of needles, contending that the practice promoted illegal drug use. "Pediatrics Trials Groups Receive NIAID Funding" Reuters (02/26/97) The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases will award 23 four-year grants to the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group, allowing the continuation of research to prevent HIV transmission from mother to child and providing funding for the treatment of HIV-positive children and adolescents. The 21 AIDS Clinical Trial Units will receive $32 million in the first year, while other funding will support new centralized, advanced laboratory studies. As of June 1996, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 9.870 AIDS cases among children and adolescents, 90 percent of which were attributed to perinatal transmission. "Ukraine's Health Care Situation Is Grim, Minister [Reports]" Xinhua News Agency (02/26/97) Chronic illnesses plague millions of Ukrainians, and the country's failing health care system is unable to meet increasing demands, Ukraine's Minister of Public Health Andre Serdyuk reported. Serdyuk said that 6 million Ukrainians have cardiovascular disease, 760,000 have tuberculosis, 1.2 million are disabled, and the rate of sexually transmitted diseases and AIDS is rising rapidly. The poor health of the country's citizens contributed to 1.2 million extra deaths over the last six years, and experts warn that an additional 1.2 million people will die if the health care system is not improved. The public health ministry has proposed a law to improve health insurance and is raising money to supplement the government's annual medical subsidies. "Life Expectancy Shortened in Sub-Sahara" Xinhua News Agency (02/27/97) Life expectancy during the period from 1990 to 1995 for people living in sub-Saharan countries was estimated at 46.7 years, a decline of 3.9 years from the previous five years, according to the "Times of Zambia." The decrease was attributed to ethnic wars and the AIDS epidemic. Experts noted that poor nutrition, water supply, sanitation, and domestic hygiene were linked to 33 percent of diseases in the region. "Patient Care Must Remain Priority in HIV Managed Care" Reuters (02/26/97) Managed care plans for HIV patients must keep patient health, not cost-cutting, as a priority, Dr. Gary F. Kreiger of the American Medical Association and the California Medical Association told participants at a "Managed HIV/AIDS Care" forum. He emphasized the need to eliminate the "gag" clause in some managed care contracts and to establish an independent review of proposed experimental treatments. Dr. Renslow Sherer of the Cook County HIV Primary Care Center in Chicago told the audience that about two-thirds of the HIV patients at his facility are now treated as outpatients. He reported that this system has worked well for the center and includes the use of peer educators, support groups, and outreach programs. "Is Bigger Better for Retrovirus Conference?" Journal of the American Medical Association (02/26/97) Vol. 277, No. 8, P. 616; Voelker, Rebecca The recent Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, aimed at providing an intimate setting for a relatively small number of researchers, was so popular this year that many groups complained about restricted access. The meeting's status soared last year when researchers presented results that showed that certain drug combinations could reduce HIV to undetectable levels. However, some AIDS patient advocacy groups said that 2,000 to 3,000 scientists, HIV community representatives, and treatment advocates were barred from this year's meeting. On the conference's opening day, several groups petitioned the organizers to expand the meeting and hold it in a larger facility in 1998. Conference organizers said that 2,473 researchers and clinicians were registered, and 519 were turned away. To limit commercial interests, organizers established a quota for the number of drug company marketing representatives allowed to attend, and excluded pharmaceutical trade press and financial analysts. Still, some members of the press said their ability to disseminate information was hampered by the influence of drug companies. The organizers say they are considering the possibility of expanding the meeting, but note that surveyed participants in 1995 and 1996 said they would prefer to keep the meeting small. "The AIDS Crisis Is Over--For Me" Village Voice (02/25/97) Vol. 42, No. 8, P. 34; Savage, Dan Advances in AIDS treatments and their dramatic results have been widely publicized over the past year, and as experts warn the public not to become complacent in the fight against AIDS, Village Voice writer Dan Savage says the AIDS crisis is over. Savage distinguishes between AIDS, which he says is still a serious threat to poor communities, and the AIDS crisis, which he says has ended because the middle-class perceives new treatments as a near-cure. Based on media reports, Savage says, it appears that AIDS is under control among the middle class, who have access to the new drugs. AIDS organizations may find it more difficult to raise money, Savage claims, as AIDS-related deaths, especially among gay men, begin to decline. Judy Werle, a former fundraiser for a large AIDS organization, expects raising money to be "much harder ... if the only people dying are the very poor." She adds that "successful AIDS fundraising has relied on the compassion of people directly affected by the epidemic." The end of the AIDS crisis has also impacted sexual behaviors, especially among gay men. Savage admits that, like other gay men, he and his partner stopped using condoms before their HIV-negative status was confirmed, in part because they knew the disease can be treated. In conclusion, Savage states that safer sex education materials should be altered to take into account new information about modified HIV risks.