Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary for Date: Wed May 24 07:01:01 PDT 2000 (164 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 2000, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update Wednesday, May 24, 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 GENERAL MEDIA "Obstetricians Urge HIV Testing During All Pregnancies" "USF Wins Grant in Sex Disease Fight" "Mbeki: Africa Not on Downward Slope" "Concerns Voiced on Hepatitis C Virus" "Outreach Targets HIV Awareness Among Blacks" "Across the USA: Illinois" "Three TB Cases Confirmed in Grant" "Uganda Seeks Sh300b to Fight HIV/AIDS" "Innovations: Sandia National Labs" **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "Obstetricians Urge HIV Testing During All Pregnancies" USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (05/24/00) P. 9D; Rubin, Rita A campaign launched Tuesday by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists calls for voluntary HIV testing of all pregnant women. The new guidelines support an active approach to screening for HIV during pregnancy, to prevent transmission of the virus to babies. Although the drug AZT can significantly reduce the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey of 14 states revealed that 20 percent to 40 percent of pregnant women are not informed about HIV. The CDC's Martha Rogers also notes that while most pregnant women consent to testing when asked, some doctors hesitate to recommend HIV testing because it may seem obtrusive. "USF Wins Grant in Sex Disease Fight" St. Petersburg Times (www.sptimes.com) (05/24/00) P. 3B The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has named the University of South Florida (USF) the federal government's new Southeastern sexually transmitted disease/HIV Prevention Training Center. Along with the designation, USF has been given a $1.5 million grant, which will enable the school to increase its training program for healthcare workers in seven Southeastern states over the next five years. Since Florida's STD Prevention Training Center was established in 1988, officials there have trained almost 6,000 health practitioners about how to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases. In addition, Florida's rate of syphilis has declined from 64 cases per 100,000 people to just two. "Mbeki: Africa Not on Downward Slope" Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (05/24/00) P. A34; Gellman, Barton While much public attention has been focused on AIDS during South African President Thabo Mbeki's visit to the United States, the official also brought with him a delegation to emphasize economic development. Mbeki called for increased attention to poverty in the developing world, which he asserted is hampering the shift to market economies and democratic forms of government. At a meeting with the Washington Post, Mbeki discussed the perception that Africa is "just generally going down the tubes" and noted that anyone who saw the "reality of the South African economy, wouldn't have this negative perception." Mbeki also spoke about the differences between Africa and the West in terms of AIDS, such as a separate strain of HIV and a primarily heterosexual mode of virus transmission. "Concerns Voiced on Hepatitis C Virus" Boston Globe Online (www.boston.com/globe) (05/24/00) P. A29 Up to 4 million Americans have the hepatitis C virus, and the majority are unaware they are infected. In Massachusetts, the condition could result in long-term healthcare costs of up to $1 billion if not discovered, according to Dr. Bela Matyas of the state Public Health Department. Hepatitis C is the leading cause for liver transplants, and can remain asymptomatic for years. A $2 million study by the health department found that many health providers are not fully informed about the illness and its risk factors. "The level of ignorance not just among consumers but among providers too, is appalling," said James Hyde, a Tufts University health professor. Matyas noted, however, that an educational effort that involved radio and television ads and pamphlets distributed to physicians' offices and health clinics throughout Massachusetts helped to boost diagnoses of hepatitis C virus infection over the past two years. "Outreach Targets HIV Awareness Among Blacks" Houston Chronicle Online (www.chron.com) (05/23/00); Hopper, Leigh A summer outreach program in Houston aims to increase AIDS awareness among African Americans, remove the stigma of the disease, and support early treatment. The program includes events with sports, poetry, music, and peer counseling, and is funded by Glaxo Wellcome. Statistics show that African Americans now account for more than 60 percent of newly reported HIV infections in Harris County. Mayor Pro Tem Jew Don Boney, chairman of the Mayor's Task Force on HIV/AIDS, explained: "We have a crisis, and we're responding." Healthcare workers note that in the African-American community, denial is a big problem, and people are often reluctant to get tested or seek early treatment. "Across the USA: Illinois" USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (05/24/00) P. 12A Some Illinois residents are upset about a sex education program that requires high school students to buy condoms and visit family planning clinics. Opponents say the "Reducing the Risk" program does not emphasize abstinence until marriage, which is required by state law. "Three TB Cases Confirmed in Grant" Cincinnati Enquirer Online (www.enquirer.com) (05/24/00) There have been three confirmed cases of active tuberculosis (TB) diagnosed in Grant County, Kentucky. The cases are not part of an outbreak, according to health officials, but physicians in four counties in the region have been alerted. Nine TB cases were diagnosed in the four counties last year, and already this year a total of four TB cases have been confirmed. One official noted that in the three Grant cases, the patients are not relatives, although two have come into contact with each other socially. "Uganda Seeks Sh300b to Fight HIV/AIDS" Africa News Service (www.africanews.org) (05/23/00) Uganda needs 300 billion shillings (about $200 million) to fight AIDS over the next five years, according to the Uganda AIDS Commission (UAC). According to UAC Director General Dr. David Kihumuro Apuuli, the money would be used for HIV/AIDS awareness and education efforts. Apuuli, who spoke at the 17th HIV/AIDS candlelight memorial in Kampala, said the funds have "been budgeted to cover all sectors in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, service provision, planning, and implementation by line ministries, [nongovernmental organizations], the private sector, [and] religious and cultural institutions." "Innovations: Sandia National Labs" Business Week (www.businessweek.com) (05/08/00) No. 3680, P. 106; Licking, Ellen Researchers from Sandia National Laboratories in New Mexico have devised a computer program that may help doctors to more rapidly identify diseases and outbreaks. The program lets doctors transmit patient symptoms and other information over the Internet to a central computer that produces color-coded maps based on the data. The maps allow for easy geographic reference for the symptoms, facilitating outbreak identification and surveillance. Thus far, only doctors at a Sandia-related hospital at the University of New Mexico are taking part; but the scientists hope to expand their research, possibly including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.