From: Billi Goldberg <bigoldberg@igc.apc.org>
Subject: CDC Summary 11/13/92
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6453
Organization: unspecified
Date: Fri, 13 Nov 92 08:04:21 PST

                          AIDS Daily Summary
                          November 13, 1992 
 The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes 
available the following information as a public service only.  Providing 
this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC 
Clearinghouse, or any other organization.  Reproduction  of this text is 
encouraged; however, copies may not be sold.  Copyright 1992, 
Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD 
************************************************************************
 "Flynn to Veto Condom Statute" Boston Globe (11/12/92), P. 29  (Walker, 
Adrian)
    Mayor Flynn of Boston indicated Wednesday he will veto a city  
ordinance that calls for the installation of coin-operated condom 
machines in businesses that hold liquor licenses and have a  seating 
capacity in excess of 100 patrons.  Flynn vetoed a  previous draft of 
the ordinance in August.  The city's  corporation counsel, Albert 
Wallis, recommended that Flynn reject the ordinance on the grounds that 
it is too broad and  unconstitutional.  "You can't order a private 
business to install and maintain condom machines in their premise.  On 
that basis,  I'll have to veto the bill again," remarked Flynn.  
Meanwhile,  Councilor David Scondras argued that Flynn is only hiding 
behind  the reasoning of his legal counsel, when in fact, he is acting 
on his religious beliefs.  "He's imposing his religious beliefs on  all 
of us in the middle of a devastating public health crisis,"  added 
Scondras.  Flynn, who opposes the distribution of condoms  in public 
schools, explained yesterday that young people should  exercise 
abstinence as a means to prevent the spread of HIV.  "I  think that 
tragically the issue of abstinence has not been  thoroughly discussed as 
an important safeguard in protecting the  health and safety of young 
people," Flynn said. 

"Survey Finds Many Americans Ignore 'Safe Sex,' Risk AIDS" Washington 
Post (11/13/92), P. A2
     Millions of Americans are putting themselves at risk of  
contracting the AIDS virus by not practicing "safe sex," reports  the 
largest national sexual survey since the 1948 Kinsey report.  The survey 
of more than 10,000 Americans revealed that  heterosexuals fail to 
recognize the risk of AIDS and that many  engage in unprotected sex with 
multiple partners.  The  researchers found that seven percent of 
respondents admitted to  having multiple sex partners over the last 
year.  Only 17 percent of heterosexual adults who said they had engaged 
in sex with two  or more partners over the past five years, 31 percent 
had put  themselves at some level of risk of contracting HIV.  Only 17  
percent of respondents with multiple sex partners said they used  
condoms all of the time.  Of respondents who had engaged in  intercourse 
with high-risk individuals, only 13 percent used  condoms.  Although 
AIDS has been most prevalent among homosexuals and intravenous drug 
users, "it is just a matter of time before  it will spread widely into 
the heterosexual community," said the  author of the study, Joseph 
Catania of the University of  California at San Francisco.  The reason 
for low condom-use among heterosexuals, said Catania, is because "you 
have a situation  where heterosexuals don't see themselves being at 
risk."  While  heterosexuals may not be at a very high risk at present, 
"that  situation isn't going to stay constant and that's the problem,"  
he remarked. 

"The Quest for Magic Wands" Washington Post (11/13/92), P. A27  
(Krauthammer,Charles)
     Americans have a fascination with appointing "czars" to resolve  
impossible social ills that appear to have been neglected in the  cycles 
of democracy, writes Charles Krauthammer.  During the  1970s, Jimmy 
Carter had an "inflation czar;" in the 1980's, the  Republican 
administration appointed a "drug czar."  In a  political move to appear 
sensitive to the AIDS issue,  President-elect Bill Clinton has promised 
he will name an "AIDS  czar."  While this may be a political move to 
satisfy the segment of the constituency that has gone unnoticed, the 
danger of  Clinton's proposed figure-head is that he may actually 
believe  that such a person could solve the AIDS crisis.  Furthermore,  
Democrats assume that under Republican rule, the issue of AIDS  was for 
the most part ignored.  However, Krauthammer notes that  AIDS has 
received more attention than any other illness and that  it has been the 
subject of more medical research than any other  illness in history.  
Additionally, AIDS patients receive more  research dollars than 
sufferers of any other disease.   Krauthammer concludes that presidents 
who emphasize an activist  government are to blame for America's 
domestic problems. 

"Free Nutritional Assessment Program for HIV Patients" United Press 
International (11/12/92)
     Columbus, Ohio--Ross Laboratories and two other companies are  
sponsoring a free nutritional assessment program for individuals  who 
are infected with HIV and are treated by a group of  participating 
doctors.  Proper nutrition can prolong and enhance  the quality of life 
for HIV patients, said Ross spokeswoman  Brenda Burris and Physicians 
Association for AIDS Care executive  director Gordon Nary on Wednesday.  
Burris added that patients  would receive a nutrition "prescription" 
based on information  sent by participating physicians and three-day 
food diaries  provided by the patients.  Ross developed a computer 
program to  assess and track patients' nutritional status.  Like persons 
with other chronic illnesses, AIDS patients must take several kinds of 
drugs which often cause terrible gastrointestinal problems.  As a 
result, AIDS patients often feel sick, tend to eat poorly, and  can't 
retain what they consume, said Dr. Rob Crane, head of  resident HIV/AIDS 
education at Riverside Methodist Hospitals in  Columbus. 

"Amid AIDS Fears, Philippine Lawmakers Call for Limiting Port  Calls" 
United Press International (11/11/92)
     Manila, Philippines--Philippine lawmakers are concerned about the 
spread of AIDS in this country where foreign sailors are  permitted to 
make port calls.  President Fidel Ramos' sister,  Senator Leticia 
Shahani, said "The matter of AIDS is worse than  military invasion."  
Shahani is pushing the government to consult with state health officials 
before permitting foreign troops to  go on shore leave in the 
Philippines.  Senator Blas Ople, who  heads the foreign-affairs 
committee, said that while the country  allows foreign ships to repair 
and refuel in the Philippines, he  is concerned that Philippine cities 
may become "R-and-R centers." The Philippine Senate decided not to renew 
the U.S. military's  lease on Subic Bay Naval Base last year, with some 
lawmakers  saying they feared sailors might spread sexually transmitted  
diseases.  However, the port-call issue remains--Washington and  Manila 
agreed last week to allow U.S. military vessels and planes to use the 
Philippine facility after Nov. 24 on a commercial  basis. 

"Researchers Test Gene Therapy Against AIDS" Science (10/30/92) Vol. 
258, No. 5083, P. 745  (Thompson, Larry)
     At the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory's meeting on gene therapy,  
few people attending knew that such therapy would be used to  treat 
AIDS.  Joseph Sodroski, a virologist at the Dana-Farber  Cancer 
Institute, held a talk titled, "Newer Strategies for Gene  Therapy for 
AIDS," which surprised many.  He said, "We are  considering HIV as a 
vector for [putting anti-AIDS genes into the cells of] people who are 
already infected with the HIV virus."   Defeating AIDS with HIV is the 
most recent twist on the idea of  attacking the disease with gene 
therapy.  Many researchers have  sought to transplant a variety of genes 
into the cells of AIDS  patients to elicit proteins that block HIV.  But 
progress has  been slow.  One problem is getting the genes into the 
cells HIV  attacks.  Also, the virus mutates so rapidly that it seems 
able  to slip past the various inhibitors that researchers are trying  
to put in its path.  Sodroski's plan is expected to use a  modified form 
of HIV to transfer anti-HIV genes into patients.   The vector would, for 
example, infect the same cells as the  natural HIV, targeting only those 
that need treatment or are  likely to become infected.  Furthermore, 
HIV's efficient gene  transfer mechanisms would integrate the antiviral 
genes directly  into the DNA of the target cell.  Nevertheless, 
Sodroski's group  still has several problems to resolve.  These include 
creating a  cell line that produces high concentrations of HIV vector 
and  maintaining long-term expression of the transplanted gene.   
Sodroski hopes to ultimately take uninfected white blood cells  out of 
an AIDS patient, insert an antiviral gene, and then inject the now-
protected cells to the body. 

"Condom Campaign Shocks India" Adweek (11/02/92) Vol. 33, No. 44, P. 64B  
(Tilles, Daniel)
     In a country where explicit kissing scenes on television are  
forbidden, a heated TV and print campaign created by Lintas:  Bombay for 
KamaSutra condoms has gotten underway in India.  The  effort was 
developed in part to address the rampant Indian  population explosion in 
addition to the troubling prevalence of  HIV infection, according to 
Barry Day, a vice chairman with  Lintas: Worldwide.  "Lintas wanted to 
do something that wasn't  limited in its appeal, the way most other 
public service  approaches to this problem have been to this point," 
said Day.   Both favorable and unfavorable controversy have emerged as a  
result of the advertisements.  State television in India rejected two of 
the three original television commercials because they  were considered 
too explicit, according to reports. 

"Indiana: AIDS Policy" American Medical News (11/09/92) Vol. 35, No. 42, 
P. 19
     A proposal that required routine HIV testing for patients  admitted 
to Indiana hospitals failed to garner full support among state doctors.  
The measure, which also entailed contract tracing of HIV-positive 
individuals, was submitted to the Indiana State  Medical Assn. Board of 
Trustees for additional review.  The ISMA  also objected to a proposed 
rule from the Indiana State Board of  Health that would require 
physicians to document AIDS counseling. The doctors indicated they would 
contest any mandate involving  patients' medical records..