Subject: CDC AIDS Daily Summary for Date: Fri Jun 2 07:01:00 PDT 2000 (201 lines) From: National AIDS Info Clearinghouse Copyright 2000, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update Friday, June 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 "Bacterial AIDS Vaccine Ready for Testing" GENERAL MEDIA "Abbott Labs Is Seeking Accelerated Approval of New AIDS Drug" "Canada to Spend C$120 Million on Global AIDS Fight" "Chastity Tests: Unusual Tool for Public Health" "Minorities Account for 52 Percent of New HIV Cases [in Wisconsin]" "Tobacco-Based Vaccine May Help Treat Cervical Cancer" "[Tenn.] House OKs HIV Bill for Emergency Staff" "Tenn. Tests 41 for TB After Plant Employees Exposed" "AIDS to Make a Million Orphans in Mozambique by 2004" INFORMATION FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION "HIV/AIDS Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Inject Drugs--United States, 1985-1998" *************************************************************** PEER-REVIEWED JOURNALS *************************************************************** "Bacterial AIDS Vaccine Ready for Testing" Nature (www.nature.com) (05/25/00) Vol. 405, No. 6785, P. 386; Smaglik, Paul Dr. Robert Gallo, head of the Institute of Human Virology in Baltimore, recently announced plans to test a new oral AIDS vaccine during the next two years. Set to be tested in both Baltimore and Uganda, the vaccine was developed by George Lewis, director of the vaccine division at Gallo's institute, with colleague David Hone. The vaccine uses a weakened form of Salmonella typhi to transport the HIV protein gag and parts of several other viral proteins. The researchers hope the vaccine will cause cytotoxic T-lymphocytes to recognize and destroy cells infected with HIV. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative will give $1 million for the project. **************************************************************** GENERAL MEDIA **************************************************************** "Abbott Labs Is Seeking Accelerated Approval of New AIDS Drug" Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (06/02/00) P. B6 Abbott Laboratories is seeking accelerated Food and Drug Administration approval of its AIDS treatment, currently known as ABT-378/r. The drug is a cocktail combining the protease inhibitors lopinavir and Norvir, an HIV drug sold by Abbott that prolongs the time that lopinavir stays in a patient's bloodstream. "Canada to Spend C$120 Million on Global AIDS Fight" Fox News Online (www.foxnews.com) (06/01/00) Canada has announced that it will spend C$120 million over the next three years to fight HIV and AIDS. At a conference in Toronto, International Development Minister Maria Minna said that Canada hopes to cut within five years the level of HIV infection among 15- to 24-year-olds by 25 percent in the nations hardest hit by the disease. Calling HIV "one of the single biggest threats to development," Minna noted that the pandemic has affected health but is also "a huge economic issue." Last year, Canada spent C$20 million in the war against AIDS in developing nations; however, Ottawa plans to spend C$22 million in the 2000-2001 fiscal year, C$36 million in 2001-2002, and C$62 million in 2002-2003. In addition, C$5 million will be donated to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative and C$13 million will be used to help focus on the benefits of behavioral change in Malawi. "Chastity Tests: Unusual Tool for Public Health" Christian Science Monitor (www.csmonitor.com) (06/02/00) P. 1; Singer, Rena Throughout South Africa, children who prove their virginity are being rewarded with certificates and praise for remaining chaste. The chastity tests are part of the growing fight against HIV. While chastity tests previously were used only for Zulu brides, the growing number of AIDS cases has led Zulu leaders to change the prenuptial exam into an HIV prevention program. But physicians note that it is hard to accurately test virginity, and because it is almost always young girls who are tested, there are also issues related to sexism and civil liberties violations. The examination sites often have long lines of girls ages six to 21, waiting to prove their virginity. Parents believe the tests help promote abstinence, but some feminists, AIDS activists, and medical experts note that the tests are, at least temporarily, creating a culture of fear, and that boys and girls should be taught about condoms, HIV, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Labeling young girls as virgins also puts them at risk for rape by HIV-positive men who believe that "pure" girls offer a cure. "Minorities Account for 52 Percent of New HIV Cases [in Wisconsin]" Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Online (www.jsonline.com) (06/01/00); Pabst, Georgia Minorities in Wisconsin now account for 52 percent of the state's new HIV cases. Hispanics compose 8 percent of people with HIV, even though they make up just 2 percent of the population, noted James Vergeront, head of the AIDS/HIV program for the state Division of Health. On Thursday, a summit on Hispanic leadership addressed the cultural stigma of HIV and homosexuals in the Hispanic community. Other issues discussed include poverty, gender, legal status, and a lack of access to new drug treatments for Hispanics infected with HIV. State Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) called on Hispanics to help educate the community and raise awareness about the disease. One woman, Monserrate Perez, described to conference participants how her husband left her with four children after she found out she was infected with HIV. "Tobacco-Based Vaccine May Help Treat Cervical Cancer" Nando Times Online (www.nandotimes.com) (06/01/00); Wagner, John Researchers from North Carolina State and Georgetown universities are studying a way to fight cervical cancer with a genetically altered tobacco-based vaccine. Nearly $3 million in funding from a farm aid bill awaiting President Clinton's approval may be used for the research. Current treatments for cervical disease usually involve surgery or chemotherapy; but the new approach would use tobacco plants to develop a therapeutic vaccine against human papillomavirus, a primary cause of cervical cancer. According to Kenneth Dretchen, dean of research at Georgetown University, the vaccine may be used in two ways: to treat women already diagnosed with cervical cancer and to protect against the disease in healthy women. "[Tenn.] House OKs HIV Bill for Emergency Staff" Memphis Commercial Appeal (www.gomemphis.com) (06/01/00) P. A10 The Tennessee House has unanimously passed a bill that would test any person arrested for aggravated assault of police, firefighters, paramedics, or prison guards for HIV. If the person assaulted is exposed to the virus, the responsible arrestee would have to pay for bills related to the exposure. A similar measure was approved by the state Senate. "Tenn. Tests 41 for TB After Plant Employees Exposed" Memphis Commercial Appeal (www.gomemphis.com) (06/01/00) P. B4 More than 40 people in Tennessee have been tested for tuberculosis (TB) after an employee at the Columbia Specialties plant tested positive for the disease. According to the state health department, seven people have had positive results so far; however, only one case has been confirmed. Tennessee recorded 382 cases of TB last year, down 13 percent from 1998. Thus far this year, the state has documented 114 cases, compared to 159 at the same time in 1999. "AIDS to Make a Million Orphans in Mozambique by 2004" Reuters (www.reuters.com) (06/02/00) AIDS will orphan 1 million children in Mozambique by 2004, according to UNICEF. The United Nations agency said it is working with the country's ministry of social welfare to help develop a plan for the children. There are 350,000 orphans already in Mozambique, and up to 1 million of the nation's 17 million residents are infected with HIV. **************************************************************** INFORMATION FROM THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION **************************************************************** "HIV/AIDS Among Men Who Have Sex With Men and Inject Drugs--United States, 1985-1998" Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (www2.cdc.gov/mmwr) (06/02/00) Vol. 49, No. 21, P. 465 A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study looks at AIDS incidence and risk behavior among men who report both sexual contact with other men and injecting drug use (MSM/IDU). In 1998, 2,161 MSM/IDU were diagnosed with AIDS, a 37 percent decline since 1996. This decline is due in part to the availability of more effective HIV treatments in recent years. Supplemental research points to continued risk behavior among MSM/IDU. Interviews with more than 500 MSM/IDU recently diagnosed with AIDS found that 76 percent reported having sex with a man and 43 percent reported sex with a woman in the past five years, and nearly half of these did not always use condoms. Additionally, 34 percent had injected drugs during the same time period, with 45 percent reporting sharing needles. These findings point to the dangerous intersection of risk for men who have sex with men, injection drug users and women, and indicate a need for comprehensive HIV prevention programs to slow the spread of the epidemic in all three groups.