Subject: CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update Date: Mon Jan 12 07:31:03 PST 1998 (184 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1998, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update January 12, 1998 The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Copyright 1997, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. HEADLINES --------- GENERAL MEDIA "First Human Tests Set for an AIDS Vaccine" "Pregnancy Prevalence in HIV-Infected Women Has Fallen in Uganda" "China Aims to Limit HIV Cases to 1.5 Million by 2010" "African Children Benefit From HIV/AIDS Education Program" "California AIDS Deaths Plummet 60 percent" "New Chlamydia Tests More Sensitive, Require Less Staff Time" "Mongolians Told To Shun Casual Sex in AIDS Fear" "A Dose of Reality: Female Condom Company Struggles to Get Message Out" **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "First Human Tests Set for an AIDS Vaccine" Washington Times (01/12/98) P. A5 VaxGen Inc., a small California biotechnology firm, has won U.S. federal support for a three-year AIDS vaccine study involving 7,500 healthy human volunteers. The study is the first phase III test to determine the efficacy of the vaccine, which is based on the gp120 protein and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Nearly 5,000 volunteers will be from the United States, while another 2,500 will be from Thailand. Half of the volunteers--most of whom are considered at high risk of contracting HIV--will receive the vaccine, while the other half will receive placebos. If the study is successful, the vaccine would be available in the early part of the next century. However, Jose Zuniga, deputy director of the International Association for Physicians in AIDS Care, warns: "The vaccine is not the end of the road. It is the beginning." "Pregnancy Prevalence in HIV-Infected Women Has Fallen in Uganda" Reuters Health Information Services (01/09/98) Dr. Ronald Gray of Johns Hopkins University and colleagues surveyed 4,813 sexually active women between the ages of 15 and 49 in the Rakai district of Uganda to determine the pregnancy rate among HIV-1 infected women as compared to the rest of the population. The study, reported in the January 10 issue of the Lancet, found the pregnancy rate to be 14.2 percent among HIV-1 positive women, compared to 21.4 percent among HIV-1 negative women. The researchers also measured lower rates of pregnancy among both HIV-negative and HIV-positive women with syphilis. Dr. Gray noted that the lower frequency of pregnancy in HIV-1 infected women was most pronounced in the younger age groups. "China Aims to Limit HIV Cases to 1.5 Million by 2010" Reuters (01/10/98); Lim, Benjamin Kang As part of efforts to halt the emerging HIV epidemic in China, the Asian giant announced Saturday that it has sent 100 proposals to 40 foreign embassies and international organizations requesting funds for HIV prevention efforts in the country. While the official Xinhua news agency did not report how much funding China hopes to raise, it did note that the proposals included efforts such as launching an HIV/AIDS information Web site, promoting the use of condoms among high-risk groups, and publishing textbooks on sex and AIDS. Official figures released by the national health ministry indicate that China had 8,303 HIV cases as of October 1997, and that the spread of HIV has hit a period of rapid growth. In part, growth of the disease has been driven by the recent comeback of prostitution and venereal disease, as well as multiple uses of needles. "African Children Benefit From HIV/AIDS Education Program" Reuters Health Information Services (01/09/98) Researchers reported the results of a controlled community test of the efficacy of HIV/AIDS education among elementary students in the December issue of the American Journal of Public Health. Dr. Knut-Inge Klepp of the University of Oslo and colleagues conducted a year-long trial of an HIV/AIDS education program within six primary public schools in Tanzania, using 12 other schools for comparison. The researchers concluded that HIV/AIDS education programs are practical and effective, citing statistically significant effects showing increased AIDS knowledge and improved attitudes toward people with AIDS within the intervention group. The researchers, in conjunction with the Tanzanian government, are now trying to modify the program for use in secondary schools. "California AIDS Deaths Plummet 60 percent" United Press International (01/09/98); Wasowicz, Lidia The California Department of Health Services has reported a 60 percent drop in the number of AIDS deaths in the state during the first half of 1997. The figure fell to 1,112 in the first six months of last year, compared to 2,788 for the same period in 1996. Experts credit the decrease to new drug therapies and, to a lesser degree, to safer sex practices. Wayne Sausuda, director of the California Office of AIDS, noted that a major factor in the drop "has been the substantial investment that California and the federal government have been making to provide new therapies." On Friday, California Governor Pete Wilson called for a $35.9 million increase in the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program, for a total of about $130 million. "New Chlamydia Tests More Sensitive, Require Less Staff Time" Reuters Health Information Services (01/09/98) According to a report published in the January issue of Sexually Transmitted Diseases, two new molecular amplification systems--Roche Diagnostic Systems' Cobas Amplicor and Abbott Laboratories' LCx--are more sensitive and require less technician time than first generation chlamydia detection devices. Dr. Olafur Steingimsson and associates at the University of Iceland found the Cobas Amplicor to have 100 percent sensitivity, while the Amplicor MWP assay showed 92.9 percent sensitivity and the LCx measured 83.3 percent sensitivity to cervical swab samples from 98 women and first-void urine samples from 204 men attending an STD clinic. The researchers also noted that inhibition of chain ligase interfered with the LCx test in seven samples, a problem not found in the Cobas Amplicor due to its use of an internal control which routinely monitors for inhibition of amplification. "Mongolians Told To Shun Casual Sex in AIDS Fear" Reuters (01/09/98); Halasz, Irja On Friday, Mongolian health minister L. Zorig urged residents to shun casual sex, following the discovery that a visiting HIV-positive Cameroon man slept with four local prostitutes. One of the prostitutes has tested positive for the virus; test results from the other three are not yet available. Authorities have thus far tracked down 56 of a suspected 80 people who later visited the prostitutes. In light of the discovery, Mongolia's AIDS Prevention Committee has asked the government for about $61,500 to launch an AIDS awareness campaign. "A Dose of Reality: Female Condom Company Struggles to Get Message Out" Marketing News (01/05/98) Vol. 32, No. 1, P. 2; Littman, Margaret The Female Health Company's (FHC) sole product, the Reality female condom, has received widespread support for its ability to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, but the Chicago-based firm has had trouble getting exposure. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS found that use of the female condom resulted in a 35 percent reduction in STD incidence. Moreover, Reality's failure rate, when used correctly, is 5 percent, which is higher than that for the male condom but lower than the failure rates for the diaphragm, cervical cap, and spermicide. FHC has struggled to market Reality on television and in print, but has found success with a program to educate such public health groups as Planned Parenthood, government health departments, and university health centers. FHC is also working with UNAIDS and the World Health Organization in an effort to increase worldwide education regarding the female condom. The company signed a deal in late 1996 with UNAIDS for the distribution of female condoms in developing nations, and UNAIDS expects to distribute some 8 million of the prophylactics in the contract's first full year. ***************************************************************** The AIDSNews Mailing List is maintained by the CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention. Regular postings include the CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update, conference announcements, clinical trials information, current funding opportunities, and selected MMWR articles. To SUBSCRIBE, send the command "subscribe aidsnews firstname lastname" to the address listproc@aspensys.com. To UNSUBSCRIBE, send the command "unsubscribe aidsnews" to the address listproc@aspensys.com. If you need assistance, please contact aidsinfo@cdcnac.org. *****************************************************************