Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary for Date: Tue May 2 07:01:01 PDT 2000 (189 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 2000, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update Tuesday, May 2, 2000 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 HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles. HEADLINES PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS "Cost-Effectiveness of Universal Compared With Voluntary Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Among Pregnant Women in Chicago" GENERAL MEDIA "Lott Criticized for AIDS Remarks" "The AIDS Epidemic Is a World Threat" "Rising Tide of Diseases Worries Officials" "Switzerland: Health Spending" "Company Offers HIV Vaccine Technology to S. Africa" "Envoys Seek Special U.N. Assembly Session on AIDS" "AIDS Said Taking Toll on Tanzania" "Overweight Women Less Likely to Be Screened for Cancer" *************************************************************** PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS *************************************************************** "Cost-Effectiveness of Universal Compared With Voluntary Screening for Human Immunodeficiency Virus Among Pregnant Women in Chicago" Pediatrics Online (www.pediatrics.org) (04/00) Vol. 105, No. 4, P. 54; Immergluck, Lilly Cheng; Cull, William L.; Schwartz, Alan; et al. Researchers from the University of Illinois at Chicago College Of Medicine investigated the cost-effectiveness of implementing three screening strategies to detect HIV among pregnant women in Chicago. The three strategies were no screening, voluntary screening, and universal screening. The authors determined it would cost about $11.1 million to screen 100,000 women for HIV and to treat the 40 cases of infant HIV expected under the program. The number of estimated pediatric HIV cases would be lowest under the universal screening plan. In addition, compared to no screening, universal testing could save $3.69 million for every 100,000 pregnant women tested in Chicago and avoid about 64 more cases of pediatric HIV. Without a screening strategy in Chicago, an estimated 104.6 children would be infected with HIV and 44.8 if HIV testing was voluntary. The researchers note that such a program could also ease pressure on physicians to make patients get tested. The costs of implementing the program of universal screening show that it would both lower the incidence of newborn HIV infections and would cost less on average per pregnant woman than no screening or voluntary screening. **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "Lott Criticized for AIDS Remarks" Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (05/02/00) P. A5 Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) is being criticized for his suggesting that the White House labeled AIDS a national security threat to attract gay voters. On "Fox News Sunday," Lott said, "I guess this is just the president trying to make an appeal to certain groups, but, no, I don't view that as a national security [threat], not to our national security interests." White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said Monday that Lott's comments "indicate a lack of thoughtful reflection on this issue." "The AIDS Epidemic Is a World Threat" Bangkok Post Online (www.bangkokpost.com) (05/02/00) An editorial in the Bangkok Post supports the United States' decision to list AIDS as a threat to world security. The editors suggest that by highlighting this threat, perhaps other nations will also take a more aggressive stance against AIDS. While much has learned about AIDS since the beginning of the epidemic, the disease has not been cured. The editors note that the national security threat from AIDS comes in several forms, including shifting demographics as a result of AIDS-related mortality and strained economies as the disease takes its toll on young working people and limited health resources. The disease has already affected millions of lives, the editors conclude, and "it also can ruin a nation." "Rising Tide of Diseases Worries Officials" Boston Globe Online (www.boston.com/globe) (05/02/00) P. C1; Knox, Richard A. Emerging and re-emerging diseases have experts concerned. According to Dr. Steven Ostroff of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, infectious disease mortality in the United States has increased over the past 20 years following eight decades of significant declines. Including deaths from AIDS, the U.S. infectious disease mortality rate soared 58 percent since 1980; however, even without AIDS, the United States has seen a 22 percent increase in infectious disease deaths since that time. Health experts note that a key factor in the diseases' spread is the increasing movement of people, animals, and food products across large distances, allowing infectious organisms to move more rapidly than in the past. Scientists have suggested, for example, that the West Nile Virus, which killed seven people in New York last year, may have come to the United States via the blood of a bird or infected mosquito, possibly from the Middle East. Ostroff points out that the sentinel cases in last year's outbreak were all near Kennedy International Airport. "Switzerland: Health Spending" New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (05/02/00) P. A10 A Geneva-based health group has stated that under 10 percent of over $56 billion spent on health research each year goes towards tuberculosis, malaria, and other conditions that make up 90 percent of the health problems in the world. The group's report noted that research focuses more on diseases of concern in wealthier countries, while just one-fifth of 1 percent of research funding is spent on pneumonia and diarrheal diseases, the leading killers. "Company Offers HIV Vaccine Technology to S. Africa" Reuters (05/01/00); Fox, Maggie Cel-Sci Corp., which is based in Vienna, Virginia, has offered To provide South Africa with the necessary technology to test its AIDS vaccine, as part of an effort to end distrust of Western drug companies. Company CEO Geert Kersten said there is a need for a clade C vaccine, a subtype of HIV seen in southern Africa, India, and parts of Europe. As part of its offer, which was made in mid-April, Cel-Sci would provide, free of charge, the relevant data and manufacturing technology to help South Africa reach Phase III clinical tests. South African President Thabo Mbeki has come under fire recently for his reluctance to distribute AIDS drugs and his consultation with scientists who believe HIV is not the cause of AIDS. "Envoys Seek Special U.N. Assembly Session on AIDS" Reuters (05/01/00); Goodman, Anthony The United Nations ambassadors for Costa Rica, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Zimbabwe have called for a special General Assembly session next year to discuss the AIDS epidemic. In a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Anna, the four U.N. envoys noted that AIDS will have a significant social and economic impact, particularly in areas hard hit by the disease. They also pointed out in an accompanying memorandum that there have been 50 million HIV infections since the beginning of the epidemic, with over 33 million people now living with the disease. The envoys called for increased U.N action against AIDS as well as new measures to increase international cooperation in the battle against the disease. "AIDS Said Taking Toll on Tanzania" Las Vegas Sun Online (www.lasvegassun.com) (05/01/00) Tanzanian President Benjamin Mkapa said Monday that AIDS is hurting the nation's economy, as a significant portion of the work force is dying. Mkapa said that some ministries are losing around 20 workers a month to AIDS, while the disease has taken the lives of more than 300 workers at the Tanzania Electric Supply Company in the past five years. The president sought to garner the support of religious leaders who oppose open discussion of sex and AIDS-related matters, noting that he hopes they "consider the stark reality in the light of the current situation and the given statistics." According to estimates, approximately 20 percent of Tanzania's 33.3 million people are infected with HIV. "Overweight Women Less Likely to Be Screened for Cancer" Reuters Health Information Services (05/01/00) Overweight White women may be less likely than other women to get screened for breast and cervical cancer, even though their overall risk is greater. According to a study in May issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine (2000;132:697-704,732-734), Boston researchers studied the mammography rates and Pap smears of over 11,400 women and found that overweight women were less likely to have had either screening. The team from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center found that 84 percent of normal-weight women had been given a Pap smear, compared to just 78 percent of overweight and obese women. Weight seemed to make a difference in screening only among White women, the researchers noted.