Washington Blade - May 9, 2003

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. House of Representatives passed a $15 billion bill May 1 that would more than double U.S. contributions to the worldwide fight against AIDS. Supporters, led by President George W. Bush, said the money could bring relief to millions of people with AIDS and prevent the deadly disease from infecting millions more. The House passed the legislation by a 375-41 vote after lawmakers approved an amendment assuring that one-third of the money for AIDS prevention would go to sexual abstinence programs. The president's conservative allies insisted that abstinence get a prominent role in the AIDS effort. The five-year spending plan is aimed specifically at sub-Saharan Africa, home to 30 million of the world's 42 million persons with AIDS, and the Caribbean. The U.S. this year is spending about $1.2 billion on international AIDS efforts. "So much of what we do is really unimportant and trivial, but not today," said Rep. Henry Hyde, chairman of the House International Relations Committee. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist pledged to act quickly on a Senate bill and try to get legislation to the president by the end of the month.

Eliminating separation of HIV-positive inmates would save funds, study says

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) - A new study found that Alabama's cash-strapped, overcrowded prison system could save up to $400,000 per year if it quit separating inmates with HIV and AIDS from other prisoners. If infected inmates had access to education and community-based work and restitution programs like other inmates, about 56 inmates more per year would become eligible for programs outside the prison, easing overcrowding and saving money, the study found. "It costs a lot less to have somebody in these community programs," said Rachel Maddow, an expert on prisons and AIDS who headed the study. The Alabama Prison Project and the ACLU's National Prison Project released "Excluding Alabama State Prisoners with HIV/AIDS from Community-Based Programs" this week. Prisons spokesman Brian Corbett said the study warrants review, but it doesn't address the potential costs of diverting the inmates from prisons into various programs. When Mississippi dropped its policy in 2001, Alabama was the only state left requiring segregation of HIV and AIDS prisoners from other inmates.

San Fran officials concerned about rise in crystal meth use

SAN FRANCISCO - Bay Area health officials are concerned that the mantra of HIV prevention - safe sex - is being muted by a raucous party scene, cheap crystal methamphetamine and reckless sex, according to the San Francisco Chronicle. Up to 40 percent of gay men in the city have tried crystal meth, a powerful form of what's often referred to as speed, health experts estimate. The state's top AIDS and HIV prevention officials, during a meeting about crystal meth in Sacramento last month, said gay men in the state who use speed are twice as likely to be HIV-positive than gays who don't use it. "We have all sorts of levels of evidence," said Dr. Jeffrey Klausner, director of sexually transmitted disease prevention and control for the San Francisco Department of Public Health. "It's all pointing in the same direction: The crystal meth epidemic is playing an important role in increasing sexual risk behaviors, and that is leading to new HIV and STD infections." Crystal meth is the most commonly used drug in the gay party scene, after cigarettes, alcohol and marijuana. The powdery substance that can be swallowed, injected, snorted or smoked, is known by many names -"crissy," "tina," "tweak," and "crank." On Wednesday, city officials and gay activists were scheduled to hold a televised hearing to discuss crystal meth use among gays.

Maker of urine-based HIV tests receives boost from Magic Johnson

ALAMEDA, Calif. (AP) - Earvin "Magic" Johnson, the former Los Angeles Lakers' star, hopes his high-profile AIDS activism can help turnaround a struggling manufacturer of HIV tests. Last week, Johnson joined the board of Calypte Biomedical Corp., which makes urine-based tests. "When I first heard of a test for the AIDS virus that uses urine samples, I was amazed and wondered why more people didn't know about it," Johnson said. "I believe that the fear of a blood test is one of the biggest reasons why more people don't get tested." Johnson, who announced he was HIV-positive in 1991, helped the Lakers win five championships. Alameda-based Calypte could use some of Johnson's business magic. It lost $6.4 million during the first three months of the year and its stock trades for about 3 cents a share.

From staff and wire reports

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