From: bigoldberg@igc.apc.org (Billi Goldberg)
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids
Subject: CDC Summary 11/6/92 (The Correct One)
Date: 7 Nov 92 04:09:57 GMT
Organization: unspecified
Note: Copyright 1992, Dan R. Greening. Non-commercial reproduction allowed.
Archive-Number: 6424

Sorry for posting 10/9/92 instead of 11/6/92; it has been a bad day.

                          AIDS Daily Summary
                          November 6, 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 
************************************************************************
 "NIH Convenes Panel to Evaluate AIDS Vaccine Trial Ordered by Congress" 
Washington Post (11/06/92), P. A3  (Brown, David)
     The National Institutes of Health yesterday called together a  
panel of experts to consider the scientific merits of an AIDS  vaccine 
trial that Congress has funded and ordered to be done  without the NIH's 
consent.  The congressional mandate was part of an amendment to a 
Defense Department appropriation bill passed  last month.  A total of 
$20 million was provided to Army  researchers to test gp-160, a vaccine 
made from part of the outer coating of HIV.  The proposed trial is the 
product of an  extremely successful lobbying effort by the vaccine's  
manufacturer, MicroGeneSys Inc.  According to the defense bill  
amendment, unless the NIH, the Food and Drug Administration, and  the 
Defense Department decide within six months that the test  should not 
proceed, the money should be used for a "large-scale"  trial of the gp-
160 vaccine.  Small studies have shown that the  vaccine may boost the 
immune system capabilities of HIV-positive  people.  While no 
manufacturer was named in the appropriation  bill, the designation of 
gp-160 as the vaccine to be tested  effectively means that MicroGeneSys 
would have its product tested first.  Despite the political overtones of 
the meeting, most of  the discussions yesterday were about the state of 
vaccine  research.  NIH Director Bernadine Healy said that "it is  
absolutely imperative that this panel give gp-160 an objective  and fair 
assessment" despite the aggressive lobbying effort.  She requested that 
the panel report by Dec. 2 whether it believes  gp-160 or any other 
vaccines are ready for large trials. 

"Red Cross Delay Led to AIDS, Report Says" Toronto Globe and Mail 
(11/05/92), P. A1  (Mickleburgh, Rod)
     While the Canadian Red Cross waited to institute a recognized HIV 
screening test, at least 50 Canadians contracted the virus from  tainted 
blood transfusions, according to a report conducted for  Health and 
Welfare Canada.  The Canadian Red Cross did not  implement its national 
blood-screening program until Nov. 4,  1985, which was eight months 
after a similar program began in the United States.  Jack McDonald, a 
University of Calgary professor  who wrote the 23-page report, found 
that 50 Canadians have   tested positive for HIV after receiving 
infected blood during the eight-month delay.  McDonald said that the 
actual total of people who are infected could be higher because it is 
likely that some  of them are not yet aware they are infected.  The 
Canadian Red  Cross defended the delay, saying it was necessary to first 
obtain federal and provincial financing for the program.  The agency  
also said it had to wait until an ordinary AIDS test was  available to 
the public because of fears that huge numbers of  people would donate 
blood simply as a way of learning whether  they were HIV-positive.  Ken 
Arenson, a Toronto attorney who  represents about 30 HIV-positive 
clients suing the Red Cross,  said the U.S. solved this problem by 
refusing to tell donors  whether their blood was infected.  An official 
from Health and  Welfare Canada said the new screening techniques were 
introduced  in the United States and Canada at about the same time, but  
Canada delayed its public announcement until its national program had 
been completed. 

"In the World: Test All French, Says Woman in AIDS Case" Baltimore Sun 
(11/06/92), P. 16A
     A former French government official, accused in a scandal over  
HIV-positive blood, urged political leaders to test every French  
citizen for HIV.  Georgina Dufoix, who was the country's social  affairs 
minister in 1985 when thousands of French hemophiliacs  contracted HIV 
from national blood bank transfusions, said her  critics were making 
huge mistakes by not mandating HIV testing  for everyone.  "Those who 
criticize us today are committing the  same error 100 times over by not 
systematically testing every  Frenchman and by leaving AIDS in a blur," 
she told the Paris  daily newspaper Le Monde. 

"Women Facing Obstacles in Avoiding AIDS Virus" Toronto Globe and Mail 
(11/05/92), P. A7  (Wilson, Deborah)
     Women encounter severe difficulties in reducing their risk of HIV 
infection, delegates to a conference held in Vancouver, British  
Columbia, were told this week.  The members of a panel addressing AIDS 
and HIV infection said that while the number of HIV-positive women 
continues to increase, these individuals still face  obstacles in 
receiving timely diagnoses.  The panel members said  that teenaged 
girls, battered women, and incest victims may lack  control over their 
sexual activity and be more at risk for HIV  infection through 
unprotected sex.  Many women do not have the  courage to demand safe sex 
practices from partners or may  experience violent reactions to such 
demands.  Nancy McPherson, a delegate who works with battered women, 
said a lot of safe sex  advice is not practical.  She said suggestions 
to use a condom  are "really insulting to a woman who says the last time 
I tried  to assist my partner in using a condom he broke three of my  
ribs."  Another delegate, Evelyn Hildebrand, a member of a  support 
group for HIV-positive women, said she is most concerned  about teenage 
girls' lack of self-esteem and their reluctance to  insist on safe sex.  
Although violence against women increased  their risk of HIV infection, 
problems in diagnosis and treatment  are believed to make the situation 
worse.  These complications  involve the failure of many doctors to 
correctly diagnose  HIV-related symptoms, critical attitudes by 
professionals in the  health-care industry, and reluctance to test women 
for HIV. 

"No Magic Answers" USA Today (11/06/92), P. 14A
     Due to fears among fellow basketball players about the potential  
for contracting HIV during play, Magic Johnson decided to leave  the 
National Basketball Association.  Hopefully, in the near  future facts 
will override fear in the age of AIDS and many  HIV-positive people can 
live normal lives, write the editors of  USA Today.  After incurring a 
cut on the arm during an exhibition basketball game, Johnson learned 
that some teammates and  opponents were fearful about playing with him 
in the  sometimes-bloody contact sport.  On Monday, Johnson announced 
his decision to retire again from the basketball league.  However,  the 
facts say the players had little to fear.  Among the  estimated 250,000 
AIDS cases reported in the last 10 years, not a single infection has 
been attributed to sports contact, according to the National Commission 
on AIDS.  Moreover, the NBA  requires  players who get cut to leave the 
game immediately for treatment  by trainers, who must wear latex gloves.  
But the same fear of  AIDS that drove Magic from the game has caused 
hundreds of  nurses, clerks, and other HIV-positive people to lose their 
jobs. Johnson's retirement should not be a tragedy, but a warning of  
what can happen when fear dominates science.  Dealing with fear  and 
ignorance about AIDS is difficult, but with practice and hard work, 
maybe the facts about the disease will defeat fear in the  end, say the 
editors. 

"Woman Sues Magic, Says He Gave Her AIDS Virus" Washington Post 
(11/06/92), P. F4
     A woman has filed a lawsuit against Magic Johnson in Michigan  
federal court, claiming  he infected her with HIV in June 1990,  
according to a Thursday night report on ABC News' "Prime Time  Live."  
The television program reported the lawsuit and aired an  interview in 
which Johnson spoke of his second retirement from  the Los Angeles 
Lakers on Monday.  Johnson, through his lawyers,  told "Prime Time Live" 
that he had sex with the woman, but said  he is not sure if he 
contracted HIV from her, or if she got it  from him.  The show reported 
that the anonymous woman filed the  suit last Friday.  This week, 
however, an AIDS expert said that  Johnson may have been infected for 
several years before testing  HIV-positive before his retirement last 
November.   Related Story: USA Today (11/06) P. 1D 

"966 Inmates Positive in a TB Exposure Test" Philadelphia Inquirer 
(11/05/92), P. B1  (Goodman, Howard)
     A total of 966 inmates at Philadelphia-area Graterford Prison,  
which has a population of 4,100, tested positive on the skin test for 
tuberculosis, prison officials announced on Wednesday.   Further testing 
of 575 of the affected inmates, however, did not  yield one active case 
of TB, said officials.  The remaining  affected inmates have not yet 
undergone additional testing.  But  health officials say that a large 
majority of people who test  positive on the skin test, known as PPD 
skin testing, never  actually develop TB.  Yet the test does alert 
doctors to  administer chest X-rays as another step toward detecting 
cases of the disease.  Graterford's spokesman A.J. LeFebvre said the  
absence of any active TB cases to date showed that fears  expressed by 
the American Civil Liberties Union of an "imminent  outbreak" of the 
potentially deadly disease were unfounded.   Nevertheless, Elizabeth 
Alexander, an ACLU attorney, said  yesterday that the large number of 
skin-test positives was a  "shocking total" and that they indicated that 
inmates are  unknowingly being exposed to TB germs within the state 
prison  system.  Graterford implemented the sweeping TB testing program  
last week after a recent federal court order was established and  
reports of TB cases increased nationally, especially in prisons.  Walter 
Tsou, a physician with the Montgomery County Health  Department, said 
that additional investigation is needed to  discover the source of 
infection.  Tsou added that less than 8  percent of the American 
population is estimated to test positive  on the PPD test, which is far 
less than the 23 percent recorded  at Graterford. 

"A Health Survey in Delco Presents a Mixed Picture" Philadelphia 
Inquirer (11/05/92), P. B6  (McCullough, Marie)
     Delaware County, Pa., residents have an above-average chance of  
developing AIDS, venereal disease, breast cancer, and lung  cancer, 
according to a report issued yesterday by Crozer-Keystone Health System.  
The group conducted the study over a 14-month  period and spent 
$250,000.  Experts from Temple, Johns Hopkins,  and Fordham Universities 
performed the study by compiling  federal, state, and local statistics, 
household surveys, and  observations of medical and community groups.  
The study found  that overall, Delaware County residents are in 
excellent health,  which reflects their level of education and 
affluence.  The study compared Delaware County with other counties in 
the state and 197 populous counties in the nation, then standardized 
Delaware  County's scores and presented them as percentile ranks.  It 
was  revealed that Delaware County ranks second in syphilis and  
gonorrhea incidence and fourth in AIDS case rates among counties  in the 
state.  John C. McMeekin, Crozer-Keysone's president and  chief 
executive officer, said the objective of the study was to  identify 
health needs and propose strong medicine--a major  undertaking in a 
county that includes urban, suburban, and even  rural demographics and 
lifestyles. 

"Blood is Both Health and Economic Issue in Albania" United Press 
International (11/04/92)  (Cota, Lulzim)
     Tirana, Albania--Hospitals in several Albanian cities are  
curtailing elective surgeries and handling emergency cases only,  due to 
a month-long strike by blood donors who are demanding more money.  The 
incidence is a direct result of Albania's devastating economic 
situation.  Albanians earn an average monthly income of  about $7.  In 
addition, approximately 80 percent of workers in  the population of 3.5 
million are out of a job as the nation  copes with making the 
transition.  One Albanian said, "Two years  ago I received 300 leks ($3) 
for 300 milliliters.  With this I  could buy 20 kilograms (44 pounds) of 
meat.  But for the 450 leks ($4.50) they pay me now, I get only 3 
kilograms (6.6 pounds).   Thus, to compensate for the additional price 
of food, we need  more money."  Due to the worsening economic situation, 
some of  the donors have gone to Greece to sell their blood for prices 
up  to 50 times what they receive at home.  Dr. Agim Kociraj,  director 
of the National Blood Offering Center, believes the  problem is the old 
system of paying the donors.  "If people  receive money for their blood, 
they may be tempted to conceal  diseases.  Our center is a modern one 
and we can discover  diseases such as AIDS or hepatitis, but in other 
districts they  are not able to do these analyses."  Furthermore, he 
said, the  old system "is uncontrollable and contains the probability of  
spreading blood diseases." 

"Clinic Blasts Washington Post for Refusing to Run Ad on AIDS" 
Washington Business Journal (11/08/92) Vol.11, No.23, P.21 (Love, Alice 
A.)
     The executive director of Washington's Whitman-Walker Clinic, an  
AIDS organization, is outraged by the squeamish approach the  Washington 
establishment takes regarding AIDS prevention  advertising.  Previously, 
Jim Graham chastised the Centers for  Disease Control for its negligence 
in its "America Responds to  AIDS" ad campaign.  Now, Graham is upset 
with the Washington  Post, which refused to feature one of the clinic's 
ads in its  Health section last month.  "The Post's actions are 
hypocritical, homophobic and out of touch with the realities of HIV  
prevention," said Graham.  Apparently, the newspaper committed to 
feature three ads for Whitman-Walker's annual fall HIV prevention 
campaign directed at gay and bisexual men  Subsequently, it  reneged on 
one ad that shows two shirtless men embracing while  one holds an 
unwrapped condom.  A spokesperson for the Post said  the newspaper would 
not comment on the decision.  However, the  District government approved 
the ad in question, which has been  displayed in poster form on downtown 
bus terminals. 
Newsgroups: sci.med.aids