HDTenEightyP/NetNews huggingface dataset:
From: jmt@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Jon M. Taylor)
Subject: Questions on worldwide heterosexual AIDS demography
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 5965
Organization: unspecified
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 92 18:29:20 GMT

   I have a question here.  A friend and I were discussing AIDS recently,
Reply-To: jmt@sactoh0.sac.ca.us (Jon M. Taylor)
Organization: Sacramento Public Access Unix, Sacramento, Ca.
Date: Sun, 23 Aug 92 09:15:28 GMT
To: pacbell!ames!sci-med-aids@ames.arc.nasa.gov

and the subject of heterosexual AIDS came up.  I mentioned something about
the fact that I had read that, while most AIDS cases in the third world
are heterosexually transmitted, only a couple percent of reported cases in
the US were.  My friend replied that he though that there were several
reasons:
 
     1.  Average hygenic standards are considerably less in the 3rd world.
 This leads to a higher rate of things like genital sores, which makes HIV
transmission a lot more likely.
 
     2.  Prostitution is much more common in the 3rd world (This is one
I've seen mention of myself, a couple of times).
 
     3.  Anal sex is much more common in the 3rd world.  This might
dovetail with #2 above.
 
    This fiend of mine is also of the opinion that the chance of
contracting AIDS heterosexually (at least in the US) have been hyped way
out of proportion.  The phrase "the myth of heterosexual AIDS", which he
uses a lot, seems to be making the rounds here on SMI, so I thought I'd
ask you people.  He also has a couple of other odd theories, like:
 
    - The rate of heterosexual transmission is low enough that the disease
will kill off its vectors faster than it can propagate itself in the
heterosexual community,
 
    - Most, if not all, of the HIV transmission is due to micro-cuts or
abrasions on the genitals, not to and HIV presence in semen, and
 
    - The medical community is clueless about the real cause of AIDS and
how it works.
 
   Needless to say, this gets my freinf into lots of arguments ("But what
about Magic Johnson?", etc.).  I think he's got some points, but I also
realize that there could be some serious wishful thinking going on here. 
So, I thought I would throw his theories out into the cold, uncaring world
of USENET and see what kind of reaction I get.
 
copy flames.dat /dev/null
rm flames.dat
-- 
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Jon M. Taylor  jmt@sactoh0.sac.ca.us
"'Cause what the world needs now, is another folk singer, like I need a
hole in my head." - _Teen Angst_, Cracker
From: ritchey@jpl-devvax.jpl.nasa.gov (George Ritchey)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: AIDS Prevention Information
Summary: WalMart stores ban AIDS literature.
Keywords: WalMart Kmart
Date: 4 Sep 92 18:16:22 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory (NASA)
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6066

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Forwarded message:

From:        John_D._Curtis.ROCHX2@xerox.com Fri Sep  4 06:29:56 1992
Return-Path: <John_D._Curtis.ROCHX2@xerox.com>
Date:        Fri, 4 Sep 1992 06:24:18 PDT
Subject:     Xerox & WalMart but not Magic (background)

I have received a number of questions to explain the WalMart issue.

WalMart stores have joined KMart stores in banning "Magic Johnson's Book about
AIDS" from ALL of their stores.  They claim that the book contains graphic
sexual information and the book might be seen by children.  They claim that it
is not "book banning or book burning" - rather that the decision to ban the
book is covered by store policies regarding sexually explicit magazines, etc.
WalMart and KMart will not carry a book that teaches us how NOT to get AIDS,
but walk a few aisles over to the Pharmacy, and you will find both stores
gladly sell and profit from AIDS medications such as AZT, Acyclovir, etc.  Are
these responsible business practices?  Are these companies that Xerox should be
establishing partnerships with?

ActUp and Queer Nation staged a protest in front of a K Mart in the Rochester
area and distributed over 300 copies to interested parents and consumers in
front of the store.  The store made no attempt to stop the protesters - but
still refuses to carry the book on its shelves.

Xerox, as with any other business, should be responsible in selecting business
partners that reflect the attitudes and priorities of its employees and its
corporate goals.  The only factor should not be how many stores they can place
their product in.

In its press release regarding the new 5210 and the partnership, Xerox
spokesman have suggested the personal copier is great for home uses such as
copying report cards, recipes and receipts.  (SUCH AS COPIES OF:  Report cards
on fair business practices?  Recipes for non-violent protests?  Receipts for
AZT bought at WalMart?).

This weekend, remember those who have labored for our rights, and who continue
the fight.  Let them inspire us to join them, in what ever ways we are able.
JOHN

----

Xerox and WalMart have reached an agreement to market the Xerox 5210 Personal
Copier in WalMart stores around the nation.

I guess therefore that Xerox and WalMart agree that we can sell a copier to
take home - but not Magic Johnson's Book About Aids.

Just checking to see if their priorities are straight - and responsible -

JOHN

-- 
George Ritchey                           ritchey@devvax.jpl.nasa.gov 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA
4800 Oak Grove Drive   Mail: 525-3670
Pasadena, CA.  91109
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: j blevins <AP16%SMUVM1.BITNET@mvs.oac.ucla.edu>
Subject:      last comment to fog
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6005
Organization: Southern Methodist University
Date:         Tue, 25 Aug 92 17:53:36 CST

for some reason, here in the Republic of Texas if a Dr. prescribes
a drug against recommendations of the fda, their liscense can be
revoked. this may or maynot be the fda. i dont know.

however, i do know that the following is a valid statement:

if it is true that 'a' and 'b' and 'c'
then why does the fda go after .........
is the same as:
if it is true that 'a' and true that 'b' and true that 'c'
why does the fda go after .......

no, i dont necessarily believe what i read, i especially do not
necessarily believe the article about the dog cause i didnt read it.

however, i do take the time to understand the logic of a statement before i
grandstand.

end of present and future commentary to the fog, a thing of little substance.
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton)
Subject: Delta settles discrimination claim
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 5960
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 05:24:35 GMT

[Extracted from the San Francisco Bay Times, August 13, 1992]

Delta Airlines has settled a claim by an applicant for employment who
says he was discriminated against because he is HIV postive.  Delta
agreed to hire the man and to pay him $13,958.

The case was one of hundreds of discrimination claims filed against Delta
with the Human Relations Commission in New York City.  The suits charged
Delta with discrimination on the basis of marital status, gender,
national origin, race, sexual orientation, disability, and age.

Although it settled, Delta claims that it did not discriminate and that
the cases filed against it were not valid.

-- 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Hamilton   jfh@netcom.com   P. O. Box 281107   SF, CA   94128-1107
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: mdicker@nyx.cs.du.edu (Mike Dickerson)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: AIDS xmission and infants
Keywords: aids
Date: 28 Aug 92 02:10:58 GMT
Organization: University of Denver, Dept. of Math & Comp. Sci.
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6039

Hello,
Is it possible for AIDS to be transmitted through breast milk,
such as from a nursing mother to a child?  It seems like maybe it is
a possible means of transmission, since it is a body fluid, but
also maybe not, because of some filtering process.
Does anyone know for sure?
Thanks.
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: Mai Karitani <ST101347@BROWNVM.brown.edu>
Subject:      Re: anonymous testing
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6053
Organization: unspecified
Date:         Wed, 02 Sep 92 00:41:36 EDT

I'm a WPC (Woman Peer Counselor) at Brown University.  To get an *anonymous*
  HIV test in Providence, contact the State Health Department/Rhode Island
  Blood Group.  I don't have the phone numbers on hand, but I can look it up
   and post them ASAP.  (Or if you'd rather, email me directly.)
From: KARYPM%SJUVM.BITNET@VM.USC.EDU (Paul M. Karagianis)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS
Date: 27 Aug 92 20:20:51 GMT
Organization: unspecified
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6038

On Wed, 26 Aug 1992 05:54:10 PDT,
     Amos.Omondi@comp.vuw.ac.nz (Amos Omondi) says:

>Do you people actually know anything about the Third World or do you
>simply get at this "anal sex"/"bi-sexual sex" stuff by extrapolating
>from the spread of AIDS in the west?

...In response to a single sentence (tagged below) excerpted from the
following paragraph I entered on August 23rd:

     The usual explanations for the difference in the apparent efficiancy
 of heterosexual transmission between the U.S./Europe, where the disease
 appears to be non-self-sustaining via heterosexual vector only, and
>Africa/Asia where it obviously is, boil down to a difference in social
>values.  "Those people" have more sex with more partners under less
>hygenic conditions; they are more likely to have secondary STD's, anal
>sex, bi-sexual experiences and use prostitutes.  That's a reasonable
 explanation (despite the undercurrent of racism I sometimes think I
 hear in these arguments) and I will concede that it's probably correct.

The facts are that AIDS is spreading rapidly via heterosexual sex in
Africa and Asia, while the same vector apparently won't sustain it in
the U.S. and Europe.  The prevailing explanation is that it's the same
disease and the critical difference lies in the nature of the hetero-
sexual vector.  And I see nothing evil about speculating that those
differences center on the same factors that increase the efficiency of
transmission in the U.S.  The entire point of my posting was to point
out that the Thai's are investigating another good explanation: that
different subtypes have biological differences in how easily they are
transmitted.  If (and that's a pretty big "if", right?) it turns out
that the African subtype is more readily transmitted via heterosexual
activity, then we (U.S./Europe) could be in for a nasty shock.

The sentence was excerpted by tedr@athena.cs.uga.edu (Ted Kalivoda) who
said:

>It's probably correct because we haven't seen evidence of quick
>transmission

Agreed, but I'd like to point out that we may not have seen evidence of
quick transmission because it's too low to draw attention to itself and
we haven't had time to catch it by tracking the subtype incidence and
rate of increase in the U.S./Europe.  Or it may not be here at all yet
because it just hasn't had enough time.  Note that these two subtypes
appear to block each other, so the high rate of infection in our high
risk groups has essentially prevented the rapid establishment of the
African subtype via the most efficient vectors.   -Kary.
From: lfoard@Turing.ORG (Lawrence C. Foard)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: dyer on aids
Date: 4 Sep 92 17:16:58 GMT
Organization: The Turing Project, Charlottesville Virginia.
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6064

In article <1992Sep4.015512.14537@cs.ucla.edu> kwald@tinored.cu (Karen Wald ) writes:
>It would be interesting to know how many people out there think like 
>Steve Dyer, or at least have serious doubts, to determine whether it 
>is worth asking some of these Cubans with HIV and AIDS to write a 
>response to Dyer. You can send your responses -- pro or con -- or 
>requests for more information to infosida@tinored.cu, with copies to 
>kwald@tinored.cu and if there is enough interest, we will put 
>something in the conference.

My main doubts come from two things:

 1) Communist (and all dictatorships for that matter) have a history of
    outright lying about how wonderful they are to live in.

 2) The Cuban policy just plain would not work, HIV takes years to show
    up people with full blown AIDS are not the ones spreading the disease
    its people who don't know they are HIV+. For this reason Cubas numbers
    for HIV infection rates are unrealisticly low.

If you want to remove doubt let impartial observers make random inspections
with no prior warning. And allow impartial observers to verify that the
rate of HIV infection in Cuba is as low as claimed.

After decades of hearing propoganda from Russia about how wonderful
and carefree life there was why should I believe Cuban propoganda.
-- 
------          Join the Pythagorean Reform Church!               .
\    /        Repent of your evil irrational numbers             . .
 \  /   and bean eating ways. Accept 10 into your heart!        . . .
  \/   Call the Pythagorean Reform Church BBS at 508-793-9568  . . . .
From: dyer@arktos.spdcc.com
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: Re: marijuana
Date: 26 Aug 92 03:11:54 GMT
Organization: unspecified
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6007


	There was an article in a local paper recently (which unfortunately I can't
	find) which said that the FDA, or possibly the DEA, has decided to stop
	approving applications for the use of marijuana as an investigational drug.
	The article mentioned that very few people had ever been approved (fewer
	than 20, I think). 

It wouldn't be the FDA.  The DEA has to give permission for
experiments with C-I drugs.

	Dronabinol, which seems to be basically THC, is not the drug they were
	talking about.  People who have tried both claim that it's not as effective
	as real marijuana, probably because it doesn't have what the manufacturer
	considered contaminants. 

Yes, it's a different drug, and it has a different method of
delivery (usually).  In that sense, it should be evaluated on
its own merits.

	Personally, I think it was just another misguided part of the "war on
	drugs" (of which I don't approve - I think the DEA's budget would be better
	spent on well-baby care, Head Start, and job training). 

No argument here.  But the analogy with prednisone given to dogs
is completely faulty.  You can bet that the DEA wouldn't have
allowed Millie the dog to receive marijuana either.  :-)
This is not an issue of an _unapproved_ drug being used,
it's an issue of an _illegal_ drug (considered a drug of
abuse) being used.

Of course, this distinction may be lost on some people
would could use some help now, or who are sick and tired
of such a useless agency existing in the first place.
---
Steve Dyer
dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer
Xref: sparky sci.med.aids:1727 sci.med:16419
From: pete@egh-qc.uucp (Pete Phillips)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids,sci.med
Subject: Safety Needles & IV Bags (Was  CDC Summary 8/20/92)
Date: 26 Aug 92 10:13:08 GMT
Organization: Surgical Materials Testing Lab (SMTL)
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6013

bigoldberg@igc.apc.org (Billi Goldberg) writes in 

>                         AIDS Daily Summary
>                           August 20, 1992 

the following article :

>"Hospital Trying New Safe Needles" United Press International (08/19/92)
>     Fort Lauderdale, Fla.--The North Broward Hospital District has  
>implemented trial tests of new equipment designed to decrease the risk 
>of HIV infection health-care workers encounter from  accidental needle 
>sticks.  Health-care workers at the hospital  are using plastic-covered 
>needles and IV bags with locks.  The  needles are encased in plastic and 
>can be injected into a patient for intravenous feeding or medication, or 
>into an IV medicine bag without ever being in the open.  Another device 
>locks the needle  of an IV bag into a connecting tube, eliminating the 
>chance the  needle could come loose or jab a health-care worker.  Within 
>a  month, the district will start testing injection needles that  have 
>their sharp points sheathed in plastic.  The district  hospitals and 
>eight others nationwide will report which devices  are effective and 
>which ones are not. 

If anyone has :

- further information on the type/brand of needles and IV bags being used 
- a contact & address for the hospitals carrying out the study

could they please mail me with the information ?

Thanks in advance,
Pete
-- 
Pete Phillips, Surgical Materials Testing Lab, Bridgend, S. Wales.
UUCP   :  uknet!egh-qc!pete            DOMAIN :  pete@egh-qc.co.uk
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"SCIENCE: A way of finding things out and then making them work.  
Science explains what is happening around us the whole time.
So does RELIGION, but science is better because it comes up with 
more understand able excuses when its wrong. There is a lot more 
science than you think."
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton)
Subject: Ghoulish, insensitive, and flat-out illegal 
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 5957
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 05:17:54 GMT

[Extracted from the San Francisco Examiner, August 20, 1992]

North Dakota Securities Commissioner Glenn Pomeroy, speaking on behalf
of the North American Securities Administrators Association", called the
operations of two insurance companies "ghoulish, insensitive, possibly
violative of confidentiality rights, and flat-out illegal."

The companies in question, National Insurance Marketing Inc and Life
Partners Inc., are in the business of buying life insurance policies
from people who are expected to die soon.  Commissioner Pomeroy says
that there's nothing wrong with that.  But these companies resell
policies to individual investors, and provide them with information on
the medical condition of the policyholder.

A letter from National Insurance Marketing said "Please review this package in
its entirety and call me if you are ready to make some BIG BUCKS!"

The investment package from Life Partners included this information
about one policyholder, a 41 year old man who received an AIDS diagnosis
in October: "Applicant has also experienced visual problems, chills,
night sweats and chronic fever, ut has had no other major AIDS-related
diseases yet. [...] His primary physician has estimated applicant's life
expectancy at 6 to 12 months as of May 1992.  However, Life Partners
estimates applicant's life expectancy at 9 to 15 months."

One of the risks to investors is that the individual might live longer
than expected, but the package told investors not to worry about that:
"As it stands today, there is virtually no hope for current AIDS
patients.  The condition is one hundred percent fatal."

[Policies are currently bought at a discount of about 33%.  Take a $100K
policy as an example.  The applicant would receive $66K from the
investor.  If the applicant died one year later, the investor would
receive $100K from the insurance company, yielding a $34K return on a
$66K one year investment.]

The president of Life Partners said, in defense of his company, "Mr.
Pomeroy doesn't like the idea of helping people with AIDS.  He views it,
I think, as a gay problem."

-- 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Hamilton   jfh@netcom.com   P. O. Box 281107   SF, CA   94128-1107
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
From: jfh@netcom.com (Jack Hamilton)
Subject: Per-partner infectivity of oral receptive intercourse
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 5961
Organization: Netcom - Online Communication Services  (408 241-9760 guest) 
Date: Sat, 22 Aug 92 05:52:54 GMT

[Extracted from New Waves, the newsletter of the San Francisco Men's Health
and the San Francisco General Hospital Cohort Studies, July 1992.  These
studies are funded by the CDC, the State of California, and the City and
County of San Francisco.  The article from which I am extracting this
information is by Michael Samuel, a researcher in the SFMHS.  Some of the
matter below is my own interpretation or expansion, and did not appear in
the original article.]

The most useful estimate of the risk of HIV infection would be one which
gave the probability of infection in one episode of a particular practice.
Unfortunately, no data have been collected which allow these kinds of
estimates to be made.

It is, however, possible to measure the per partner probability of infection 
through particular sexual practices, since the studies collected information 
about the number of partners with whom a participant engaged in each practice.  The actual calculation involves using mathematical models and sophisticated
statistical techniques.  The details of the calculations were presented at
a poster at the AIDS conference in Amsterdam. 

The numbers: 

The per-partner infectivity of receptive anal intercourse is about 10%, 

and

The per-partner infectivity of receptive oral intercourse is about 1%.

In other words, this means that the chances of being infected by receptive
oral intercourse (without respect to condom use or ejaculation) with one
gay man of unknown serostatus in San Francisco is about 1%. 

This estimate is an average over all contacts with any one partner, so if
you had fewer contacts with a particular partner, the chances are less, and
if you had many contacts, the chances are greater. 

These estimates require two assumptions:

1) That men choose their partners without regard to serostatus, and 

2) That men have the same rate of infectivity through the course of their 
infections. 

Both of these assumptions are known to be false, so the estimates must be
considered rough guidelines. 

-- 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Jack Hamilton   jfh@netcom.com   P. O. Box 281107   SF, CA   94128-1107