Subject: CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update Date: Thu Feb 19 08:31:04 PST 1998 (193 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 1998, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC NCHSTP Daily News Update February 19, 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 1998, Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. HEADLINES --------- GENERAL MEDIA "High Incidence of AIDS Among Young Europeans At Risk" "Science and Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AIDS" "Health: Tuberculosis Not Beaten Yet" "Zidovudine Prevents Development of AIDS-Related Dementia" "Across the USA: North Dakota" "Serial Killer at Large" "Counting the Troops in the HIV Fight" INFORMATION FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION "Short-Course Regimen of AZT Proven Effective in Reducing Perinatal HIV Transmission: Offers Hope for Reducing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Developing World" **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "High Incidence of AIDS Among Young Europeans At Risk" Reuters Health Information Services (02/18/98) While AIDS incidence among homosexual/bisexual men and injection drug users appears to be slowing in Europe, the rate is increasing among heterosexual men and women. In the January issue of the journal AIDS, researchers presented AIDS data from more than 110,600 patients living in 12 European nations between 1978 and 1996. They compared age-specific incidence patterns in 5-year birth cohorts for heterosexuals, injection drug users, and homosexual/bisexual men. The researchers--led by Dr. Hans Houweling of the National Institute of Public Health in the Netherlands--observed a trend of lower HIV transmission in the most recent cohort of homosexual/bisexual men and a rising rate of infection among young heterosexuals. This suggests that intervention efforts have been only somewhat effective. "Science and Health Bulletin: Zimbabwe--AIDS" PANA Wire Service (02/18/98); Mwaura, John An estimated 600,000 HIV-infected Zimbabweans will develop AIDS in 1998, a government official said Wednesday. Adults aged 20-39 will be most affected, while children under 5 will comprise 15 percent of the new cases. Sithembiso Nyoni, the minister of state in Vice President Joshua Nkomo's office, noted that the majority of the affected individuals will be skilled personnel, whose replacement will be costly. "Health: Tuberculosis Not Beaten Yet" IPS Wire (02/18/98) Worldwide tuberculosis deaths reached their highest number ever this year; the rise in tuberculosis deaths accompanies the spread of HIV, errors in TB treatment resulting in drug resistance, and increased population movement. The World Health Organization has warned the international community that new therapies must be applied against the disease with greater rigor. WHO has asserted that from a health care point of view, partial or incomplete treatment of TB--which may increase drug resistance--is worse than a total lack of treatment. WHO emphasized the efficacy of its recommended Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course method of TB treatment, which boasts a cure rate of greater than 95 percent and works against the emergence of multi-drug resistant TB. Southeast Asia, with more than 3 million cases yearly, has the highest incidence of TB, while sub-Saharan Africa has 2 million cases annually. "Zidovudine Prevents Development of AIDS-Related Dementia" Reuters Health Information Services (02/18/98) In the February 1 issue of the Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes and Human Retrovirology, researchers report that zidovudine appears to block the development of HIV-related dementia. The scientists studied 154 HIV-positive patients without central nervous system opportunistic infection or neoplasm at baseline, randomly assigning subjects either 500 mL/ of zidovudine or no antiretroviral therapy. The researchers found a difference in visually evoked event-related potentials--specifically the P3 component--between the treated and untreated groups. The medicated subjects showing stable P3 latency, while the control group showed an increase in P3 latency. The findings suggest that zidovudine has a positive effect on AIDS dementia, the researchers concluded. "Across the USA: North Dakota" USA Today (02/19/98) P. 12A North Dakota health officials have announced that tuberculosis incidence is rising in the state. Twelve people were diagnosed with the disease in 1997, four more than in 1996 and seven more than in 1995. Five people died from TB in North Dakota last year. "Serial Killer at Large" Economist (02/07/98-02/13/98) Vol 346, No. 8054, P. 49 The rate of HIV infection continues to grow in Kenya, with an estimated 8 percent of its adult population carrying the virus according to government estimates. International health authorities estimate that the number is two times that rate. While combination drug therapies have been found to extend the lives of HIV-positive individuals, their high cost--more than $10,000 annually--puts the drugs well out of reach for Kenya, which spends less than $20 per person on health care each year. Specialists place the country among six countries with the world's highest infection rates, along with Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Zambia, and Swaziland. Moreover, the country faces an impending shortage of skilled labor, and factors that favor the spread of HIV--including poverty, poor educational and job prospects, and failing health services--are prevalent. Although neighboring Uganda--one of the first nations to be severely affected by HIV--has been able to stem the number of new infections, Kenya has been slow to react. Condom advertising has been withdrawn from government-run media in response to pressure from religious groups, and three attempts to institute sex education in schools have failed. "Counting the Troops in the HIV Fight" Business Week (02/23/98) No. 3566, P. 111; Carey, John Dr. Mark Hellerstein of the University of California, Berkeley, has a method for precisely calculating the rate of immune cell creation in HIV patients. The technique involves the replacement of a hydrogen atom on glucose molecules (which are used in the development of new cells) with deuterium, then administering them to patients. The process may help to answer questions concerning the allocation of resources in the body's HIV fighting response by showing whether the immune system targets the virus through a direct attack or whether it keeps immune cell numbers high by creating new cells. **************************************************************** INFORMATION FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION **************************************************************** "Short-Course Regimen of AZT Proven Effective in Reducing Perinatal HIV Transmission: Offers Hope for Reducing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Developing World" HHS News (02/18/98) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) of Thailand said Wednesday that a short-course regimen of AZT administered to HIV-infected mothers late in pregnancy and during delivery can reduce the rate of mother-to-child HIV transmission by 50 percent and is safe for use in developing nations. Dr. Helene Gayle, director of the CDC's National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, explained: "By using a much shorter course during pregnancy, an oral dose rather than an intravenous dose during delivery, and no infant dose, we evaluated a regimen that could be realistically implemented in developing nations." This study, conducted with the MOPH, is one of two collaborative perinatal HIV prevention projects for the CDC; both the Thailand study and the one in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, are part of a research effort coordinated by UNAIDS. The Thailand research offers the first conclusive scientific data of the preventive efficacy of a short-course regimen of AZT. As a result of these findings, the placebo-based control component of the Abidjan study is being discontinued, and the CDC has begun to offer all pregnant women involved in the study the AZT regimen. The CDC noted that the studies were not intended to address perinatal HIV prevention situations in industrialized nations and that current guidelines for perinatal HIV prevention in the United States will not be altered. ***************************************************************** 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. *****************************************************************