1999

Net Filters Will Block Safe Sex Information: Australian Associated Press (10/21/99); Lienert, Sam; In Australia , AIDS educators are worried that new federal guidelines for the Internet could restrict information pertaining to safe sex and sex education. The new laws, which are set to take effect next year, restrict access to violent or sexually explicit material. Victorian AIDS Council peer education officer Kenton
Health Department to Discuss HIV-Exposure Notification: Albuquerque Journal Online (10/20/99); Jadrnak, Jackie; In New Mexico, the state Department of Health was slated to hold on Wednesday a statewide teleconference to discuss the protocol for notifying people they may have been exposed to HIV. Carol Horwitz, an HIV/AIDS planner with the department of health, notes that while the state usually informs the sexual partners of tho
HIV Infection May Hit 1M By Year's End: South China Morning Post Online; The growing rate of HIV infection in China has officials calling for increased HIV prevention education. According to the Xinhua News Agency, the government predicted Thursday that over 1 million mainlanders could have HIV by the end of 1999. The report noted that experts estimate that 70 percent of China s HIV patient
UN Agency on AIDS Urges Broad-Based Effort Against Disease: Africa News Online (10/20/99); Dr. Peter Piot, executive director of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, is urging leaders of Latin American and Caribbean nations to speak out against the AIDS epidemic. At a two-day meeting in Havana on Wednesday, Piot highlighted the need for a broad-based response to HIV and noted the importance of schoo
Bush: Marijuana Laws Up to States: Washington Post (10/22/99) P. B7; Hsu, Spencer S.; Texas Governor George W. Bush, the Republican presidential frontrunner, believes that individual states should decide whether to ban the medical use of marijuana. Although a campaign spokesman said Bush personally opposes the use of marijuana for medical purposes, he does support states rights on the issue. Alaska, Ari
Fighting Tuberculosis: Financial Times (10/21/99) P. 28; Houlder, Vanessa; A collaboration between scientists from the United States and Russia is working to design a new biochip technology that will help in identifying particular strains of tuberculosis (TB), with the hope of improving the efficacy of antibiotics. TB takes a long time to treat, and antibiotic-resistant strains hav
AIDS Conference to Discuss Rapid Pace of Disease in Asia: Boston Globe Online (10/22/99); Gecker, Jocelyn; The 5th International Conference on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific will begin Sunday in Kuala Lumpur, focusing on how to control the AIDS epidemic in the region. While many of the world s HIV-infected individuals reside in Africa, Asia may be the next area with an explosion of AIDS, with about 7 million people in the Asi
At-Birth Immunisation Against Hepatitis B Using a Novel Pre- Filled Immunisation Device Stored Outside the Cold Chain: Vaccine Online (10/14/99) Vol. 18, Nos. 5 and 6, P. 498; Otto, Bradley F.; Suarnawa, I. Made; Stewart, Tony; et al.; Researchers studied the immunogenicity of hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine in the UniJect injection device in a cohort of infants in Bali. The pre-filled, non-reusable device can be stored at tropical temperatures for up to one month. The infants received their first dose of HBV vaccine either from UniJect stored outsid
Preaching Chastity in the Classroom: Time (10/18/99) Vol. 154, No. 16, P. 79; Morse, Jodie; A publicly funded group in McLennan County, Texas, has launched an abstinence-only program of sex education for teenagers. Lecturer Eric Tooley does not talk about using condoms to prevent pregnancy and disease, but instead he tells students that condoms often fail, making abstinence the only way to truly protect again
Alarming Leprosy and Tuberculosis Situation in DRC: PANA Wire Service (10/20/99); The fifth annual meeting of National Leprosy and Tuberculosis Control Programs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo drew attention to high rates of leprosy and tuberculosis in the country. According to a study presented at the conference, both diseases have low detection rates. Factors contributing to the diseases
HHV8 Gene Identified That May Speed Progression of Kaposi's Sarcoma: Reuters Health Information Services (10/20/99); European researchers recently reported in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute that a human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8) gene appears to speed the progression of Kaposi s sarcoma (KS). Led by Dr. Michael Sturzl of the Institute for Molecular Virology in Neuherberg, Germany , scientists studied 14 KS biopsy specimens, a
New York State Liable for TB Misdiagnosis: Law News Network Online (10/20/99); Spencer, Gary; A Court of Claims judge in New York has ruled in favor of an elderly woman who was treated for four months after receiving a misdiagnosis of tuberculosis (TB). The judge said that a mislabeled lab specimen appeared to be at fault, rejecting arguments that the woman s physician did not confirm the first report with a se
Needle-Stick Law Ok'd: Lancaster Intelligencer Journal Online (10/21/99); Delaney, Gil; In Pennsylvania, the state House has approved legislation that would require hospitals that are publicly owned and operated to use safer technology to protect workers from needle stick injuries. The law would require the use of retractable needles during the injection or retrieval of bodily fluids. Reducing the number
Online HIV Counseling Offered by Home Access Health: Reuters Health Information Services (10/20/99); The first real-time online counseling services for people with concerns about HIV and the hepatitis C virus (HCV) are being made available via a joint effort from Home Access Health Corp. and FaceTime Communications. The confidential service, which can be accessed from the Home Access Health Internet site, will enable
Ky. Opposed in Plan to Alter AIDS Reporting: Cincinnati Enquirer Online (10/21/99); Vela, Susan; In Kentucky, the state Task Force of HIV-AIDS Prevention, Services, and Financing has proposed a plan to report the names of individuals who test positive for HIV, but the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is against the idea. The proposal for a name-based HIV reporting system, already used in 32 states, would be a
Drug Cuts Amount of Hepatitis B Virus in Blood: Reuters (10/21/99); Glaxo Wellcome s lamivudine can lower levels of the hepatitis B virus in the blood, according to a new study sponsored by the drug maker. In the study, which appears in the current issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, 52 percent of patients given lamivudine responded to the drug, versus 23 percent of the patie
Call to Buy Nevirapine for Developing Countries: Nature Medicine (10/99) Vol. 5, No. 10, P. 1093; Renault, Beatrice; Birmingham, Karen; The results of a joint trial between the United States and Uganda , called HIVNET012, indicate that the drug nevirapine can reduce perinatal HIV transmission by 47 percent. As a result, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation recently put a full-page advertisement
ABT-378 Early Access Program Begins: AIDS Treatment News (10/01/99) No. 328, P. 1; James, John S.; An early access program is providing Abbott Laboratories ABT- 378/r to a limited number of patients outside of clinical trials. A restricted drug supply makes the entry criteria rigid--patients must have failed two or more protease- inhibitor regimens and have a CD4 count under 50 or have had an opportunistic infection
Many Physicians Fail to Recognize Symptoms in HIV-Infected Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (10/19/99); French researchers performed a cross-sectional survey of 290 HIV-infected patients to compare reported symptoms with the treatments prescribed. The study, published in the October issue of the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, determined that physicians treating HIV patients need to be better at identifying patie
New York City Raised Illegal Obstacles to AIDS Welfare Grants, Top State Court Rules: New York Times (10/20/99) P. A29; Hernandez, Raymond; The New York State Court of Appeals ruled unanimously Tuesday that New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani s administration created illegal obstacles for HIV patients in order to receive public assistance. The court ruled that the city must stop the rigorous screening process for HIV or AIDS patients who apply for welfare
UMDNJ Awarded $4.3M to Study TB Treatment: Bergen Record Online (10/19/99); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has selected the New Jersey Medical School National Tuberculosis Center at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ) as one of 13 sites for the TB Trials Consortium. The UMDNJ received $4.3 million in federal funding to develop better
CDC Awards Funds to Universities for Research: M2 Presswire (10/19/99); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday $12.5 million in grants to fund 50 research projects to take place at academic health, research centers, and university programs throughout the United States . The funding, part of the CDC s Prevention Research Initiative, will go towards research on seve
"US Pledges Increased Financial Aid to Nigeria: Boston Globe Online (10/20/99) P. A8; Wright, Jonathan; U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has vowed to substantially increase U.S. financial aid to Nigeria , to possibly $100 million, in response to the country s unexpected transition to democracy. Albright spoke with Nigerian President Olesegun Obasanjo Tuesday on an official visit to African countries. Nigeria cu
VaxGen Vaccine Trial Gets $8 Million in US Government Funding: Bloomberg News Service (10/19/99); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will provide supplemental support to five trial sites in VaxGen s U.S. Phase III trial of AIDSVAX. CDC will contribute approximately $2 million annually to the selected sites over the next four years. These funds will be distributed to the trial sites directly, not to VaxG
Hospital Group Challenges New Law on HIV Tests: New York Times (10/20/99) P. A26; The Connecticut Hospital Association has filed a federal lawsuit to change a new state law that requires HIV testing for newborns or their mothers. Under the law, which took effect Oct. 1, either the mother or the infant must be tested for HIV; if the mother refuses to be tested, the baby must be screened. The associat
Ecological Analysis of Ethnic Differences in Relation Between Tuberculosis and Poverty: British Medical Journal Online (10/16/99) Vol.319, No. 7216, P. 1031; Hawker, Jeremy; Bakhshi, Surinder; Ali, Shaukat; et al.; British researchers have found a strong association between poverty levels and tuberculosis (TB) in the White population of Birmingham. The scientists studied more than 1,500 reported cases of TB between 1989 and 1993, basing their conclusions of rates of TB and measures of deprivation. The data showed no link between
Ryan White Foundation Is Shutting Down: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/19//99) P. A2; The Ryan White Foundation will close this month, the result of decreasing donations. Jeanne White-Ginder, the founder of the organization named for her son, who died nearly a decade ago after contracting HIV through contaminated blood-clotting products, said she now plans to join AIDS Action. There, she will lead a new
Teen Sex Report Puts Spotlight on Georgia Town: Washington Times (10/19/99) P. A10; Tonight s episode of the PBS series Frontline will focus on a 1996 syphilis outbreak in which 17 Rockdale County, Georgia teenagers were infected and 250 more received medical treatment. The documentary, which features interviews with teenagers who discuss their sexual behavior, has upset some community leaders and par
Coretta King's Thread of Hope: Speaking Out on AIDS, Blacks: USA Today (10/19/99) P. 9D; Sternberg, Steve; Coretta Scott King, the civil rights activist and widow of Martin Luther King Jr., spoke recently at the beginning of a major AIDS prevention effort taking place at historically African American colleges throughout the country. The AIDS Memorial Quilt is the focus of the prevention effort, which will focus on the AIDS
Increased Demand Sapping Blood Banks: USA Today (10/19/99) P. 1D; David, Robert; The American Red Cross reports that the nation s blood supply is not increasing enough to keep up with demand. The demand for blood is up 11 percent and is still growing, in part because of rising numbers of liver transplants for those with hepatitis C and transfusions for those with sickle cell anemia.
Across the USA: Arizona: USA Today (10/19/99) P. 8A; Arizona health officials are warning that syphilis is returning to Maricopa County, which had the fifth highest caseload in the United States last year, according to a newspaper report. The county recorded more than 364 cases of syphilis in 1998, and over 340 people the Phoenix area have been diagnosed with the sexuall
Emergency Treatment to Stop AIDS Virus: New York Times (10/19/99) P. D7; France, David; AIDS doctors are increasingly using an experimental treatment in an effort to prevent HIV infection in persons who were recently exposed to the virus after participating in unsafe sex. Post-exposure prophylaxis uses the standard drugs taken by individuals with AIDS, including the antiretrovirals
For Hepatitis C, a Test and a Quiz: New York Times (10/19/99) P. D8; A new Internet quiz can help individuals determine if they are at risk for having hepatitis C . The American Liver Foundation is providing both the test and free home hepatitis C test kits as part of National Hepatitis Awareness Week. An estimated 300,000 Americans may have been exposed to the virus via contaminated bl
Hepatitis C Behind Bars: USA Today (10/19/99) P. 1D; Fackelmann, Kathleen; An estimated 4 million Americans are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV), with between 20 percent to 60 percent of the nation s 2 million prisoners infected. This makes the virus a particularly serious health concern as inmates are released. According to Theodore Hammett, a researcher for the Massachusetts health
European Commission Proposes New Strategy Against HIV/AIDS: Lancet (10/16/99) Vol. 354, No. 9187, P. 1367; Glass, Nigel; Participants at the Third Annual Conference on Healthcare Resource Allocation for HIV/AIDS learned how the European Commission (EC) is working to provide direct financial aid for developing HIV vaccines. Lieve Franson, EC Policy Advisor on HIV/AIDS, explained, We are trying to prove that there is a potential market for
The Wrong Rights: Newsweek (10/11/99) Vol. 134, No.15, P. 92; Bloom, Barry R.; The dean of the Harvard School of Public Health, Barry R. Bloom, believes that prevention is the best kind of healthcare. In an article in Newsweek, Bloom asserts that citizens deserve the most accurate information medical science can provide on how to promote health and prevent illness. Other rights include those for
Cambodia PM Backs Mandatory Condom Use in Brothels: Reuters (10/16/99); The soaring rate of HIV infection in Cambodia has prompted Prime Minister Hun Sen to support efforts for mandatory condom use in brothels throughout the country. Cambodia has approximately 180,000 cases of HIV, with an estimated 100 new infections per day. Prostitution--which is illegal in Cambodia--is helping to sprea
Tuberculosis Rate on the Rise in Russia: Itar Wire Service (10/15/99); The number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) in Russia continues to increase. According to sources in the Health Ministry, more than 42,000 new cases were recorded in the first half of 1999; however, experts say the number is probably much higher. Of particular concern are insufficient supplies of TB treatments and the eme
We Must Fund the Scientific Revolution: Washington Post (10/18/99) P. A19; Gingrich, Newt; In a commentary, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich asserts that the federal budget for scientific research should be doubled over the next five years. No other federal expenditure would create more jobs and wealth or do more to strengthen our world leadership, protect the environment, and promote better health and edu
Congress Ready to Double Spending on Abstinence Campaign: Nando Times Online (10/18/99); Lowy, Joan; The House Appropriations Committee has added an additional $50 million to next year s budget to support the Department of Health and Human Service s Adolescent and Family Life program, which provides grants to local programs that promote sexual abstinence for teenagers until marriage. A similar abstinence program aimed
Eastern Shore Syphilis Cases Up Sharply, Defying State Trend, Health Officials Say: Washington Times (10/18/99) P. C1; Honawar, Vaishali; The number of primary and secondary syphilis cases on the Eastern Shore of Maryland reached 54 last year, up from 11 cases in 1996. The overall rate for Maryland dropped by more than 25 percent, but both the Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland recorded increases. The number of syphilis cases in Southern Maryland increa
Disease by Disease: AIDS, Infectious Diseases: Wall Street Journal--Health & Medicine (10/18/99) P. R4; Winslow, Ron; Langreth, Robert; Waldholz, Michael; Medical advances are helping to improve the outlook for many patients, leading to possible changes in treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of leading diseases. Combination drug therapy, for example, has resulted in a significant reduction in the AIDS mortality rate. The drugs, however, do not appear to have the ability
A Tactic Against Tuberculosis: USA Today (10/18/99) P. 4D; Friend, Tim; The use of DNA chip technology will be tested next year to determine whether it can detect tuberculosis (TB) infection and identify the specific strain. Biochips are pieces of glass that contain genes that interact with the DNA of the material that is placed on the them. The Argonne National Laboratory, a federally fun
Beijing HIV Vaccine Meeting to Go Ahead: Nature Medicine (10/99) Vol. 5, No. 10, P. 1097; Watanabe, Myrna; China will host in November its first international HIV vaccine conference. Funding for the meeting reportedly will come from the European Biotechnology Node for Interaction with China, the Office of AIDS Research at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, the Joint United N
6 Migrants Infected: Toronto Sun Online (10/15/99); Godfrey, Tom; Six Chinese refugees who arrived at Pearson Airport in Toronto, Canada , are being held at a detention center after testing positive for tuberculosis . The patients, part of a group of 22 refugees, were detained for lack of identification. The six individuals have been separated from other inmates at the Malton detenti
Appeal in Blood Case: CNews Online (10/14/99); The Canadian Red Cross Society will appeal a ruling by the Ontario Court of Appeal that said two families of individuals infected with HIV through contaminated blood should receive C$800,000 each for damages. The families both lost relatives to AIDS after they received HIV-tainted blood following surgery or treatment.
Head of U.N. Population Fund Says More Money Needed for Programs: Boston Globe Online (10/14/99); Dr. Nafis Sadik, head of the United Nations Population Fund, called attention Thursday to the need for increased funding of population programs. Speaking at a day-long population conference in Boston, Sadik mentioned the drop in the population growth rate and also noted that more funding is needed to maintain progress
Evidence Found for Parallel HIV-1 and HHV-8 Epidemics in Homosexual Men in US: Reuters Health Information Services (10/14/99); A study in the October issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases has found evidence for simultaneous epidemics of HIV- 1 and human herpes virus 8 (HHV-8) infection in the United States during the early 1980s. The researchers took samples from a cohort of 245 homosexual men living in New York City or Washington, D.C.,
Medical Tests on Inmates Reassessed: Las Vegas Sun Online (10/15/99); Leading health, prison, and legal experts are meeting in Rhode Island this week to discuss draft guidelines that would allow HIV-infected prisoners the chance to participate in research trial and experimental treatments. According to conference organizer Dr. Anne De Groot, co-chair of the HIV/Prison Project at the Brow
French Doctors Charity Wins Nobel Peace Prize: Reuters (10/15/99); Heneghan, Tom; Medecins sans Frontiers, a French medical aid group, has won the 1999 Nobel Peace Prize after being nominated several times. The group known as MsF, or Doctors without Borders, was founded in 1971 during the Biafran civil war and now has 23 offices worldwide. The organization s budget totals more than $250 million, con
NAACP Launches Campaign to Reduce AIDS in Blacks: Baltimore Sun (10/14/99) P. 8A; Texeira, Erin; The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and a number of corporations plan to release a series of videos this week focusing on HIV and AIDS, including prevention methods and treatments. Three documentaries that run 30 to 60 minutes long will show powerful, graphic depictions of AIDS patien
U.S. Bioscience Suspends Test of AIDS Drug Lodenosine: Wall Street Journal (10/15/99) P. B2; Winslow, Ron; Just three weeks after agreeing to be acquired by MedImmune, U.S. Bioscience Thursday said it halted clinical trials of its AIDS drug lodenosine because one patient died and others exhibited signs of potential liver or kidney damage. Company officials noted that all patients in the trial have stopped using lodenosine a
Are European-Specific Guidelines Needed for Prevention of Opportunistic Infections in HIV-1?: Lancet (10/09/99) Vol. 354, No. 9186, P. 1305; Yazdanpanah, Yazdan; Goldie, Sue J.; Salamon, Roger; et al.; A letter to the editor of the Lancet discusses the need for European-specific guidelines for the prevention of opportunistic infections in HIV-1-infected patients. Researchers surveyed 49 coordinators of AIDS surveillance in the World Health Organization European region. Of the 30 coordinators who responded, 14 percent
Life-Threatening Interactions Between HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors and the Illicit Drugs MDMA and Gamma- Hydroxybutyrate: Archives of Internal Medicine Online (10/11/99) Vol. 159, No. 18, P. 2221; Harrington, Robert D.; Woodward, Jane A.; Hooton, Thomas M.; et al.; Protease inhibitors used to treat HIV-1 infection have been helpful in lowering morbidity and mortality associated with the infection. Many of these drugs, however, inhibit or induce the hepatic and intestinal cytochrome P450 systems. As a result of that association, the protease inhibitors could impact the remo
Bill Aims to Curb Global Spread of TB: Nation's Health (10/99) Vol. 29, No. 9, P. 5; Two senators, Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Gordon Smith (R- Ore.), have introduced the International Tuberculosis Control Act of 1999, a bill that would give $60 million to the U.S. Agency for International Development for expansion of its tuberculosis (TB) control program. According to the
Angolan AIDS Situation Worrying: PANA Wire Service (10/13/99); The director of the Angolan National AIDS Program, Dulcina Serrano, said Tuesday that HIV will continue to spread in Angola because of increasing prostitution, poverty, and lack of education about the disease. A lack of funding is also problematic. Free condoms may not be the answer either, as they are reportedly being
Funds Pledged to Help Women With AIDS, Dollars Will Go to Minority Communities: San Francisco Chronicle Online (10/12/99) P. A9; A new proposal in Los Angeles asks to spend $8.3 million in federal housing subsidies for minorities with AIDS, using funds provided earlier this year from the Clinton administration. According to Wanda Jones, U.S. deputy assistant secretary for health, federal officials anticipate a high level of money for AIDS progra
HAART Prolongs Time to Kaposi's Sarcoma Treatment Failure: Reuters Health Information Services (10/13/99); A retrospective study conducted by U.K. researchers has found that highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) delays the onset of Kaposi s sarcoma (KS) treatment failure in patients with HIV. The study, published in the November issue of AIDS, evaluated 78 HIV-infected patients previously treated for KS who were put
US Black Leaders React: Boston Globe Online (10/13/99) P. A1; Haygood, Wil; The AIDS epidemic in Africa has prompted African American leaders in the United States to address the crisis. Former congressman Ron Dellums, head of the advocacy group Constituency for Africa, wants to call attention in America to Africa s AIDS problem. In addition, Eugene Rivers of the 21st Century Group is planning
HIV/AIDS Devastating Economies in Sub-Saharan Africa: Reuters Health Information Services (10/13/99); The HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking its toll on the economies of many African nations. A study conducted by the International Labor Office in Rwanda , Tanzania , Uganda , and Zambia shows that 80 percent of people aged 20 to 49 are infected with HIV.
Breast Cancer Resolution Approved: Las Vegas Sun Online (10/14/99); The House Commerce Committee approved on Wednesday a resolution expressing the House s support for education, early detection, and treatment for breast cancer. Legislation pending in the House would help uninsured women who have too much money for Medicaid and are too young for Medicare pay for cervical and breast canc
Exogenous Reinfection as a Cause of Recurrent Tuberculosis After Curative Treatment: New England Journal of Medicine Online (10/14/99) Vol. 341, No. 16, P. 1174; Van Rie, Annelies; Warren, Robin; Richardson, Madeleine; et al.; A new study in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that, in an area with a high incidence of tuberculosis (TB), exogenous reinfection seems to be leading cause of postprimary TB after a previous cure. Of 16 South Africans who had a relapse of pulmonary TB after curative treatment for postprimary TB, 12 were re
The Unmet Challenges of Hepatitis C: Scientific American (10/99) Vol. 281, No. 4, P. 80; Di Bisceglie, Adrian M.; Bacon, Bruce R.; The hepatitis C virus (HCV) is present in almost 4 million Americans, about 1.8 percent of the U.S. adult population. Most of these people are unaware they have the virus--a chief cause of chronic liver disease-and many who do know are unsure of the source of their infection. In the United
South African Activists Against AIDS Notification: Reuters (10/12/99); Geduld, Shellee; Members of AIDS organizations do not want to make HIV a notifiable disease in South Africa because it could put patients at risk for discrimination and make them less likely to be treated. The groups said Tuesday that requiring people to inform their friends and families that they have HIV could keep women from reporti
Continental Scourge: Washington Post (10/13/99) P. A25; Duggan, Ann; Sub-Saharan Africa has the worst rate of HIV infection in the world, with almost 4 million new infections in 1998. In a commentary in the Washington Post, Sister Ann Duggan, AIDS response coordinator for Catholic Relief Services, calls for more than funds to fight the AIDS epidemic in Africa. HIV and AIDS are having de
Efforts to Ease World Poverty Urged: Las Vegas Sun Online (10/12/99); President Clinton, speaking about the world s population reaching 6 billion, said Tuesday that his administration has invested about $6 billion in health and population programs for more than 100 countries, and the United States would continue to help. These program have focused on such issues as HIV prevention and fam
Costs of Antiretroviral Drugs Dramatically Increase in US: Reuters Health Information Services (10/12/99); According to a study led by Dr. Abid Rahman with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the costs of AIDS treatment rose 434 percent for the VA between 1992 and 1998. At the Third International Conference on Healthcare Resource Allocation for HIV/AIDS and Other Life-Threatening Illnesses in Austria
Index of Cultural Indicators Sees Trends 'Decidedly Mixed': Washington Times (10/12/99) P. A10; Wetzstein, Cheryl; William J. Bennett s Index of Leading Cultural Indicators: American Society at the End of the Twentieth Century shows that many positive changes occurred in the 1990s, while many social problems became worse. The improvements include decreases in crime, welfare rolls, murders, drunk driving deaths, AIDS cases, and abor
Do Ask, Do Tell, S.F. Ad Campaign Advises Gay Men: San Francisco Chronicle Online (10/11/99) P. A17; Herscher, Elaine; A new advertising campaign from the San Francisco AIDS Foundation encourages gay men to ask their sexual partners about their HIV status. According to experts, many gay men guess or assume their partners status, do not talk about it, and do not use condoms. Studies from the AIDS Foundation and the University of Califor
Older Women With HIV Face Stereotypes About Their Age, Sexual Activity: Boston Globe Online (10/12/99); Williams, Dara Akiko; HIV-positive women over the age of 45 say they are being stigmatized both because of their age and HIV status. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 20 percent of the people living with HIV or AIDS in United States last year were over 45, and 13 percent of that number were women. In additio
Vulcan Ventures' Paul Allen Invests $25 Million More: Wall Street Journal (10/13/99) P. B6; Paul Allen, a co-founder of Microsoft Corp., has invested $25 million more in HIV vaccine developer VaxGen . Allen increased his stake from 8 percent to 22 percent, as VaxGen conducts a late-stage clinical trial of its AIDSvax vaccine. VaxGen noted that Allen s investment, which was made through his firm Vulcan Venture
Ambitious Clinical Trial Stirs Debate: Science (09/24/99) Vol. 285, No. 5436, P. 2039; Cohen, Jon; The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will fund a massive trial of an AIDS treatment during the next five years. The $43 million study has been thoroughly reviewed and rejected once previously, and many researchers still believe its results will not be helpful in developing HIV treatment. NI
Low-Dose Ritonavir Extends Half-Life of Indinavir: Reuters Health Information Services (10/08/99); A new study in the journal AIDS indicates that adding ritonavir to indinavir in a twice-daily dosing regimen increases the pharmacokinetic profile of indinavir. Scientists from the Netherlands evaluated three cocktail variat
South African Company Offers Anti-AIDS Insurance for Rape Victims: Fox News Online (10/11/99); Wakin, Daniel J.; South Africa s CGU Insurance Ltd. is offering a new policy to treat rape victims who may have contracted HIV. The policy will provide one month of antiretroviral drugs, a year of AIDS tests, and counseling. About 3.6 million South Africans have AIDS, and 64,000 women and girls are raped each year in the country. The ne
Treatments Improve, But Hepatitis C Still a Threat: Boston Globe Online (10/11/99) P. D1; Foreman, Judy; Although there are new treatments for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, the disease still poses a threat and is the No. 1 cause for liver transplantation. An estimated 3 million Americans have the virus, and many are unaware of their infection. The virus can go undetected for years, causing severe liver damage.
UNAIDS Again Calls on Private Sector to Address AIDS in the Developing World: Reuters Health Information Services (10/11/99); Officials with the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS see a great need for the private sector to help control the AIDS epidemic in developing nations. Three areas in which the private sector can help are implementing vertical transmission prevention programs, developing vaccines, and improving access to treatment
Inexpensive Hydroxyurea/Didanosine Combination Controls HIV Long Term: Reuters Health Information Services (10/11/99); A recent study published in the journal AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses by American and Italian researchers has found that HIV infection can be suppressed with hydroxyurea and didanosine . The study found that in 12 HIV-infected patients, treatment with the inexpensive combination can reduce viremia and that the a
Study of Sex Differences in AIDS Care Launched: Reuters (10/12/99); A new 48-week study announced at the National Conference on Women and HIV/AIDS will compare differences between the sexes in treating HIV. The trial, sponsored by Bristol-Myers Squibb and Merck & Co. , will compare 100 women and 100 men who have had no success with current drug therapies. All participants in the s
Across the USA: Massachusetts: USA Today (10/12/99) P. 12A; In Massachusetts, activists fighting HIV and hepatitis C are considering asking a judge to declare a public health crisis, so that needle exchange programs can be legalized statewide. Officials have not taken full advantage a six-year-old pilot program that allows 10 communities in the state to begin exchange programs,
1M Infected With HIV in West Pacific: Las Vegas Sun Online (10/12/99); The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 1 million people in the Western Pacific have HIV, with the infection rate rising quickly in many nations. The number of HIV infections in the region could surpass 1.5 million next year, according to WHO officials. We should not be complacent as the danger of expa
Health Officials Set Sights on Syphilis: Washington Post--Health (10/12/99) P. 9; Okie, Susan; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a new campaign to eliminate syphilis in the United States . The disease is at a historic low rate, with the number of new syphilis cases reported last year 19 percent lower than that reported in 1997 and 86 percent lower than the number reported in 1990. Judi
Commentary: Human Rights Is a U.S. Problem, Too: The Case of Women and HIV: American Journal of Public Health (10/99) Vol. 89, No. 10, P. 1479; Gollub, Erica L.; In a commentary, Erica L. Gollub, a member of the Center for Studies of Addiction in Pennsylvania, asserts that new antiretroviral therapies used to slow the AIDS epidemic are not reaching women as much as men. Heterosexuals were not considered most at risk when AIDS first struck, and women are paying because of it. Go
Health--Development: More Commitment Needed in [Fight Against AIDS]: IPS Wire (10/07/99); According to the United Nations Joint Program on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS ), nations across the globe have become complacent about the risks of AIDS and should develop better policies and combine resources to stem the spread of HIV. The organization, which is in the midst of developing a new plan for the 2001-2005 period, sai
Economic Consequences of AIDS to be Discussed: Nando Times Online (10/10/99); Rama, Catherine; Africa s development is being hit hard by the AIDS epidemic, and the slow growth of sub-Saharan Africa is hurting the workforce. One in four working-age adults in Zimbabwe and Botswana is infected with HIV. In addition, the International Labor Organization estimates that 15 percent of civil servants in
S. African Leader Urges Action to Halt AIDS Crisis: Reuters (10/08/99); According to South African Deputy President Jacob Zuma, the AIDS pandemic in South Africa needs more attention and better use of prevention methods. In South Africa, an estimated 3 million people have HIV, with 1,500 new infections a day. At the launch of a new AIDS awareness initiative by the South African Broadcastin
TB Testing for Hurricane Evacuees Being Investigated: Savannah Morning News Online (10/10/99); Landers, Mary; A man evacuated from Hurricane Floyd to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry has been diagnosed with tuberculosis (TB). Health officials are now trying to determine which other evacuees should be tested for TB; testing has already been advised for Houston County workers and other rescue workers.
New Methods of Preventing AIDS Urgently Needed: Reuters Health Information Services (10/08/99); Researchers warned last week that it is becoming increasingly important for women to be able to protect themselves against HIV infection, as heterosexual contact is the most common means of transmission in the world. A conference on Biomedical Means for Preventing Sexual Transmission of HIV, held in New York, focused o
AIDS and the African: Boston Globe Online (10/10/99) P. A1; Shillinger, Kurt; The AIDS epidemic is killing millions of Africans every year, with more than 22.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa alone infected. The global epicenter of the epidemic is five southern African countries: Namibia , Botswana , Zimbabwe , Swaziland , and
Forum to Discuss Protecting Prison Inmates as Drug Test Subjects: Boston Globe Online (10/11/99) P. A3; Whitaker, Robert; AIDS doctors, ethicists, lawyers, prisoner advocates, and others will meet at Brown University this week to discuss draft recommendations for using prisoners as subjects for a late-stage trials of AIDS drugs. Although there are not very many such trials being conducted at present, physicians and advocates say more shou
Syphilis Cases Decline in Baltimore: Washington Post (10/11/99) P. B3; New statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the number of syphilis cases in Baltimore, which ranks No. 1 among U.S. cities in incidences of the disease, dropped 31 percent in 1998. There were 456 cases reported last year, versus 665 in 1997. City health commissioner Peter Beilenson
Mandatory HIV Testing of Infants and Rates of Follow-Up Care: American Journal of Public Health (10/99) Vol. 89, No. 10, P. 1583; Wilson, Tracey E.; Minkoff, Howard; In a research letter, researchers from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn discuss the rates of follow-up care for babies whose mothers were required by law to be tested for HIV. Two groups were surveyed, both before and after legislation was passed. Women were more likely to volunteer
Primary and Secondary Syphilis--United States, 1998: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (10/08/99) Vol. 48, No. 39, P. 873; Syphilis rates have declined an additional 19 percent in 1998, paving the way toward the nation s goal of elimination. The national rate of 2.6 cases per 100,000 population, a drop from 3.2 cases in 1997, is the lowest level ever recorded, according to new data released today. The article reports that less than 1 perce
Kazakhstan Registers [Nearly] 1,000 HIV-Infected People: Itar Wire Service (10/07/99); A total of 958 cases of HIV infection have been recorded in Kazakhstan , according to Turar Chaklikov, managing director of the AIDS Center. Of that number, 80 percent are injection drug users, and most are between the ages of 15 and 29. The number of women infected is also rising, accounting for 28 percent of the tota
Doctors Warn TB Spread in Far East: Itar Wire Service (10/08/99); The spread of tuberculosis in Russia s Far Eastern region of Primorye is reaching almost epidemic proportions. A report calculates an 8 percent to 10 percent yearly growth of new TB cases since 1992. The number of cases among teenagers is up 47 percent in the last two years, in large part because few patients are isola
Minister Details Grim Russian Prison Statistics: Reuters (10/07/99); Russia s justice minister, Yury Chaika, recently discussed the problems of the prison system with Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, noting that 97,000 inmates have tuberculosis (TB). Russia has one of the world s highest incarceration rates per head, with many jail cells far below internationally accepted standards. The I
Patients Contracted HIV Through Red Cross Blood: Kyodo News Service (10/07/99); The Japanese Red Cross Society announced Thursday that contaminated blood donated through the Red Cross has infected one person with HIV, and another individual may have also contracted the virus from the same blood. The screening process apparently did not catch the virus before it was given to two patients, because t
Ackerman Orders Volunteer Screening: Washington Post (10/08/99) P. B1; Strauss, Valerie; Washington, D.C. School Superintendent Arlene Ackerman has ordered all school volunteers be fingerprinted as a background check and also to be tested for tuberculosis (TB). These strict regional measures come at time when three school employees were convicted of child sexual abuse. TB tests have been required by the D
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation Gives $4 Million to the Population Council: Boston Globe Online (10/07/99); The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has reportedly given a $4 million grant to the Population Council in order to assess and develop a microbicide for women that protects against HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. The microbicide under study is PC-515, a non-contraceptive compound that is compatible with th
NIH's Varmus to Resign at End of Year: Washington Post (10/08/99) P. A27; Weiss, Rick; Dr. Harold Varmus, director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) since 1993, announced Thursday plans to resign at the end of the year. He is to be president and chief executive officer of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. Varmus presidentially appointed position is thus open at a time of extrem
Evidence of AIDS-Related Mortality in Mumbai, India (Research Letter): Lancet (10/02/99) Vol. 354, No. 9185, P. 1175; Hira, Subhash K.; Rao, Arni S.R. Srinivasa; Thaneker, Jairaj; The AIDS epidemic in India is severe, and growing. In the city of Mumbai, where the estimated population is 12 million, there has been an exponential increase in the number of HIV cases over the last 10 years. Most infections are the result of heterosexual transmission. A growth-rate model made shows that the annual d
Unrecognised Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Bacteraemia Among Hospital Inpatients in Less Developed Countries: Lancet (10/02/99) Vol. 354, No. 9185, P. 1159; McDonald, L. Clifford; Archibald, Lennox K.; Rheanpumikankit, Sunthorn; et al.; A study led by L. Clifford McDonald of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteremia often goes unrecognized among patients hospitalized in less developed nations. A total of 344 patients were enrolled in an infectious diseases hospital in
Univ. of Minn. to Get AIDS Drug Royalties From Glaxo: Reuters (10/06/99); Glaxo Wellcome has agreed to settle a patent lawsuit and pay the University of Minnesota royalties for Ziagen , an AIDS drug. The sum could rise to about $300 million. Glaxo said it would pay the university 5 percent of the first $300 million of annual global sales; the rate would rise to 10 pe
Venezuela Lacks Resources to Deal With HIV Cases: Comtex Online (10/06/99); Limited resources allow the Venezuelan government to supply treatment to only about 3 percent of the country s 100,000 HIV-infected individuals, according to Leoncio Barrios, head of the Venezuelan AIDS control and prevention program. Priority will be given to children, mothers, and pregnant women. Barrios noted that i
Higher Beta-2-Microglobulin Levels Seen in HIV-Positive Pregnant Women: Reuters Health Information Services (10/06/99); A study published in the October issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology shows that HIV-positive pregnant women have higher beta(2)-microglobulin levels than pregnant women who do not have HIV. The beta levels held steady over the course of pregnancy and HIV. According to the researchers, from the New Jersey Medical School
Prevalence of Genetic Subtypes of HIV Infection Estimated in US Military Personnel: Reuters Health Information Services (10/06/99); Researchers report that U.S. military personnel with early HIV infection often have non-subtype B infection and drug- resistant mutations. Seven of 95 HIV-infected personnel surveyed were infected with HIV subtype E, while eight of 31 treatment-naive subjects had virus with at least one resistance mutation. Sexual enco
14 AIDS Protesters Arrested: Washington Post (10/07/99) P. B2; Fourteen AIDS protesters were arrested in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday for disrupting traffic as they called for more affordable AIDS treatments in developing countries. In all, about 300 protesters marched from Farragut Square to the office of U.S. Trade Representative Charlene Barshefsky. While officials in some na
A Breakthrough in Stopping HIV: USA Today (10/07/99) P. 10D; Sternberg, Steve; A report in the current issue of Cell shows a new approach in stopping HIV from overtaking white blood cells. Researchers, led by Peter Kim from the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, have found eight molecules that could kee
House Holds Hearing on Blood Safety and Supply: CNN Online (10/06/99); A congressional hearing was held Wednesday to discuss the safety and availability of the U.S. blood supply. The United States blood supply may be too low to meet demand next year, according to a recent report from the National Blood Data Resource Center. The General Accounting Office last month said that while there is
Women Put at Risk by Secret Infidelity: USA Today (10/07/99) P. 1D; Rubin, Rita; Millions of American women wrongly think they are not at risk for contracting a sexually transmitted disease because their partners are supposedly monogamous, according to new research. A report from the Alan Guttmacher Institute in the journal Family Planning Perspectives reveals that almost 3.5 million women were wro
In Fighting Over HIV-Positive Personnel in the Indian Navy: Lancet (10/02/99) Vol. 354, No.9185, P. 1187; Kumar, Sanjay; The Indian Navy has recorded 6,000 cases of HIV infection. While symptomatic patients are automatically invalided out, according to a senior naval medical officer, HIV-infected personnel without symptoms are assigned to non-combat duties. This policy has led to allegations of discrimination. Officials from India s Navy
The Looming Threat of AIDS and HIV in Latin America: Lancet (10/02/99) Vol. 354, No. 9185, P. 1187; Snell, Janet; Latin America is seeing an increase in HIV cases, especially among women and children. At a conference in Ecuador this summer, participants were told that there are high rates of infection in countries including Brazil and Mexico , but the prevalence of HIV is low in othe
Russia Has 19,000 HIV-Infected: Report: Itar Wire Service (10/05/99); Russian experts from the centers for treatment and prevention of AIDS estimated Tuesday that there are approximately 19,000 HIV-infected individuals in Russia. According to Alexander Goliusov, the chief HIV/AIDS prevention specialist in Russia s Health Ministry, although the number is much lower than that of other coun
Hepatitis C Poses Pricey Health Mess: Albuquerque Journal Online (10/04/99); Jadrnak, Jackie; Treating all of the hepatitis C (HCV) cases in New Mexico could cost the state between $400 million and $600 million. An estimated 31,000 people in the state are infected, compared to about 2,000 residents with HIV. The interferon/ribavirin combination therapy is 40 percent
Hepatitis C Tests to Be Encouraged: Blood Transfusions of 1989-98 at Issue: Richmond Times-Dispatch Online (10/05/99); Kelly, Deborah; In Virginia, up to 700 individuals in the Richmond area who had blood transfusions between 1989 and 1998 will soon receive letters suggesting they be tested for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Hospitals nationwide are informing former patients who received blood from infected donors during these years.
South Africa's Condom Shortage Poses Threat to AIDS Prevention Program: Nando Times Online (10/05/99); Cohen, Mike; AIDS workers say that a lack of condoms in parts of South Africa is threatening the government s HIV prevention program. Many AIDS centers are running low on condoms, which are now being batch-tested by the South African Bureau of Standards. More than 150 million condoms are distributed by the government each year.
FDA Says Immunex's AIDS Claims Are 'Misleading': Reuters (10/05/99); Richwine, Lisa; Immunex Corp. has been warned by the Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) that its claims about the cancer drug Leukine helping fight HIV are misleading. An Immunex press release in May said that a Phase III clinical trial found that Leukine helps keep HIV levels down and enabled patients to take combination drug thera
BioChem Pharma Bets It Can Grow by Going It Alone: Wall Street Journal (10/06/99) P. B4; In 10 years, BioChem Pharma, maker of the AIDS drug 3TC , has managed to transform itself from a little-known biotechnology concern into a well-known company. Although 3TC s total sales topped $800 million last year, BioChem Pharma has reaped only a small percentage of those gains because it licensed the compound to
AIDS Deaths, Homicides, Teen Birth Rates Fall in US: Reuters Health Information Services (10/05/99); Macron, Doug; A report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention s National Center for Health Statistics Tuesday shows that the age-adjusted HIV mortality rate in the United States declined 21 percent last year. A CDC spokesperson noted that while there has been a drop in AIDS deaths, there has been no similar type
CDC Allocates $32 Million for HIV Prevention: Boston Globe Online (10/06/99); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that it has allocated $32 million to increase HIV prevention efforts in minority communities. According to statistics, one in 50 African-American men and one in 160 African-American women is infected with HIV. In addition, Hispanics account for 20 percent
Allo-Immunization Elicits CD8 T Cell-Derived Chemokines, HIV Suppressor Factors and Resistance to HIV Infection in Women: Nature Medicine (09/99) Vol. 5, No. 9, P. 1004; Wang, Yufei; Tao, Louisa; Mitchell, Elaine; et al.; British researchers studied the possibility of an anti-HIV allogeneic-based vaccine in women who were allo-immunized with their partners mononuclear leukocytes to prevent spontaneous recurrent abortion. The team observed upregulation in the levels of CD8 cell-derived suppressor factor activity, RANTES, and the macropha
Patient Satisfaction With Care at Directly Observed Therapy Programs for Tuberculosis in New York City: American Journal of Public Health (10/99) Vol. 89, No. 10, P. 1567; Davidson, Harriet; Smirnoff, Meg; An increase in the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in New York has resulted in a need to address patient satisfaction with TB care using directly observed therapy programs, or DOT. Because TB treatment can be long and difficult, the New York State Department in New York City launched in 1992 an initiative that includ
Drug Cocktail for AIDS Being Tested in China: CNN Online (10/04/99); MacKinnon, Rebecca; Under a clinical trial in China , where an estimated 400,000 people are infected with HIV, 24 AIDS patients will receive combination drug therapy. Dr. Cao Yunzhen, who brought the drugs to China from the United States , said she hopes American pharmaceutical firms will make their products more affordable for developing
Expert: Tainted Blood Infecting Thousands With Disease: Calgary Herald Online (10/01/99); Blood donations made in many countries that belong to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) are contaminated by HIV and hepatitis, causing infections in thousands of people every year. Just 16 of the 35 PAHO member countries screen all their blood samples for HIV and hepatitis. Also, screening is not always sensi
Hepatitis C Is on the Rise With Emergency Workers: New York Times (10/02/99) P. A11; Finkelstein, Katherine E.; In the past three years, at least six New York City emergency medical workers have been diagnosed with hepatitis C virus infection. Patrick Bahnken, president of the union for the city s emergency medical workers, said, We are alarmed by the increase in hepatitis-C positive conversions among our members.
Skin Testing Not Accurate for Diagnosis of Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Children: Reuters Health Information Services (10/04/99); Screening for tuberculosis (TB) using tuberculin skin testing is less effective in HIV-infected children than in uninfected children, according to new research from South Africa . A study in the September issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal found that tuberculin reactivity was substantially lower at all c
FDA Panel Says Overseas HIV Studies Acceptable: Reuters Health Information Services (10/04/99); On Monday, the Food and Drug Administration s Antiviral Drugs Advisory Committee debated the issue of how to conduct drug studies that try to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. While U.S. studies probably will not be conducted because the incidence of HIV in newborns and pediatric AIDS cases have dropped signifi
Court Allows Karate School HIV Rule: Washington Post (10/05/99) P. B7; White, Josh; The U.S. Supreme Court will not review the ruling in a 1996 case of a Richmond area karate school that prohibited an HIV- positive boy from taking combat-style classes. In February, the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted that federal law prohibits discrimination against people with AIDS, but the law cannot force t
CDC Announces $7 Million in Grants to Curb HIV Among Prison Inmates: Boston Globe Online (10/05/99); The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday $7 million in grants to help establish HIV prevention programs in prisons. A total of seven states--New Jersey, California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Georgia , and New York--will receive between $900,000 and $1.1 million each. Dr. Helene Gayle, dir
India Fast-Tracks Vaccine Candidates: Nature Medicine (09/99) Vol. 5, No. 9, P. 970; Jayaraman, K.S.; India has a new $4 million program to produce within three years vaccines for communicable diseases including malaria, tuberculosis , cholera, Japanese encephalitis, rabies, and AIDS. The Indian government has designated funds for vaccines and given the task to the Department of Biotechnology.
Notes From the Field: TB Net Tracking Network Provides Continuity of Care for Mobile TB Patients: American Journal of Public Health (10/99) Vol. 89, No. 10, P. 1581; Harlow, Todd; Tuberculosis (TB) is difficult to treat in migrant farmers and other mobile workers, because there has not been a system for keeping track of and referring patients to other facilities as they travel. In order to improve the system, the Migrant Clinicians Network has launched a tracking/referral project called TB Net.
UK Millions Fight AIDS and Polio: BBC News Online (09/30/99); The International Development Secretary of the United Kingdom , Clare Short, announced a 14 million pound donation from the UK Government for an HIV vaccine program, along with a 20 million pound investment to help immunize children in less organized countries against polio. The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative is
Romania to Stop Medication for 10,000 HIV Patients: Reuters (10/01/99); A Romanian health official said Friday that budget cuts last month will soon force physicians to stop giving free drugs to 10,000 Romanians infected with HIV. The majority of those patients are children, said Dr. Vladimir Strainu, manager of Bucharest s hospital for infectious diseases. Under cuts in the 1999 budget re
Cats Might Be Used to Test Novel Anti-HIV Drugs: Reuters Health Information Services (10/01/99); Studying feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may help researchers fight HIV in humans. Dr. Herman Egberink of Utrecht University in the Netherlands reported in the Journal of Virology that anti-HIV bicyclams can inhibit viral replication of FIV in feline kidney cells. The researchers noted that the study s results refl
$50 Million to Help Fight Cancer: Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online (10/01/99); Paulson, Tom; A $50 million, five-year grant made by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention will help improve cervical cancer detection and prevention in many poor countries, such as Mexico , India , and Peru
Researchers Present Plan for Testing of AIDS Vaccine: Boston Globe Online (10/03/99); Scientists at the Medical Research Foundation have asked the Health Ministry of Trinidad and Tobago to allow the testing of a potential AIDS vaccine on 40 subjects. According to the researchers formal proposal, the experimental vaccine transfers HIV genes into the cells o
Most Hepatitis C Patients Miss Benefit of New Drug: Australian Associated Press (10/04/99); Rouse, Rada; A new drug combination for the treatment of hepatitis C is available to only about 1,000 Australians, under funding by the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme. However, an expert claims that as much as two thirds of the country s hepatitis C patients could benefit from the drug cocktail that combines interferon and ribaviri
The Significance of the Persistent Presence of Acid-Fast Bacilli in Sputum Smears in Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Chest Online (09/99) Vol. 11, No. 3, P. 726; Al-Moamary, Mohamed S.; Black, William; Bessuille, Elaine; et al.; In an effort to determine the prevalence of persisting positive sputum smears in tuberculosis (TB) patients, researchers conducted a population-based, historical cohort study in British Columbia. The study, which involved 428 patients with culture-proven pulmonary TB with acid-fast bacilli (AFB)-positive sputum, also s
Urine Antibody Tests: New Insights Into the Dynamics of HIV-1 Infection: Clinical Chemistry (09/99) Vol. 45, No. 9, P. 1602; Urnovitz, Howard B.; Sturge, Jerrilyn C.; Gottfried, Toby D.; et al.; Researchers from Calypte Biomedical conducted nearly 26,000 HIV-1 urine antibody enzyme immunoassay (EIA) screening tests on paired urine and blood specimens taken from high- and low- risk individuals infected with HIV-1. In a cohort of about 12,000 patients, the tests--which were confirmed by Western blot--showed that
HIV-1 Nef Mediates Lymphocyte Chemotaxis and Activation by Infected Macrophages: Nature Medicine (09/99) Vol. 5, No. 9, P. 997; Swingler, S.; Mann, A.; Jacque, J.-M.; et al.; Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Medical Center recently reported that Nef promotes the production of two CC-chemokines, macrophage inflammatory proteins 1(alpha) and 1(beta), by HIV-1-infected macrophages. The chemotaxis and activation of resting T lymphocytes were induced by supernatants from Nef-expr
AIDS Emergency Declared Among County's Minorities: Los Angeles Times Online (09/29/99); Rabin, Jeffrey L.; Stewart, Jocelyn Y.; The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has declared an emergency, calling on governments to pay for augmented medical care for minorities with HIV/AIDS. Minority communities have been hit hard by the AIDS epidemic and 68 percent of newly diagnosed cases in L.A. County affect African Americans and Latinos. These AI
HIV rgp120 Vaccine Does Not Influence Vertical HIV Transmission: Reuters Health Information Services (09/29/99); HIV-envelope-based vaccine rgp120 does not prevent women from passing HIV to their babies, according to a Vanderbilt School of Medicine study published in the October issue of the Journal of Infectious Diseases. It is safe for pregnant women, and has mild side effects. However, it does not provide greater immune respon
Cidofovir Effective for HIV-Related Progressive Outer Retinal Necrosis: Reuters Health Information Services (09/29/99); The antiviral drug cidofovir successfully treated a German HIV-infected drug user suffering from outer retinal necrosis, affecting his vision in the right eye, according to a University of Bonn and University of Frankfurt study published in the September issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. The man was treated with f
AIDS Epidemic Striking Women and Children More in Americas: Boston Globe (09/29/99); Faul, Michelle; More AIDS victims are female in Latin America and the Caribbean. These women are passing on HIV to their children at a rate of 400 in 20,000 newborns, which is nearly 15 percent of those infected. The infected females in Trinidad are mostly young, between the ages of 15 and 25. According to the PAHO, 1.
Studies Show How Outbreaks Sneak Past Doctors: Reuters (09/29/99); Fox, Maggie; Contaminated soap bottles, saline solutions, and dialysis equipment can infect healthcare patients and workers with deadly viruses. Hospitals are infecting patients after they receive treatment, as in the case of a man in England who had pneumonia and then died from a malaria infection given to him by another patient;
World: South Asia India AIDS Alert: BBC News Online (10/01/99); Sewell, Helen; Researchers in India believe the estimated number of people in India with AIDS is far below the actual number. Four million people were thought to have HIV, but unreliable records make this number inaccurate. According to the United Nations, India has more AIDS cases than any other country, with Bombay affected especia
AIDS, Poverty Set to Dominate Regional Summit: Reuters (10/01/99); The third Southern African International Dialogue (SAID) forum will concentrate on the region s poverty, AIDS, and economy. SAID will last three days in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe , where 15 heads of state and about 400 business delegates will meet. Both business leaders and politicians attending SAID plan to focus on ec
Researchers Find Possible AIDS Virus Achilles' Heel: Reuters (09/30/99); Emery, Gene; Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute researchers think they have found HIV s weak spot-- a pocket on the surface of HIV which is vulnerable during the infection process. The spot is described as a cavity on the surface that is hidden until HIV tries to attach to a healthy cell
Uganda Gives Lessons in Stemming the AIDS Epidemic: Nature Medicine (09/99) Vol. 5, No. 9, P. 963; Uganda has seen a decline in the number of HIV-infected pregnant women in the past seven years, World Bank statistics show. An editorial in Nature Medicine asserts that other African countries should look closely at Uganda s success and then reevaluate their own AIDS strategies. Uganda s anti-AIDS campaign features o
Drug Use and HIV/AIDS in Burma: Lancet (09/25/99) Vol. 354, No. 9184, P. 1119; Chelala, Cesar; Beyrer, Chris; The HIV epidemic in Burma is spreading because of the rising numbers of people using heroin and sharing needles. Lack of healthcare is a major problem there, and the mortality rate for infants is given by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF as 81 per 1000 live births. Opium poppy fields create easy access t
Contagion: New Yorker (09/13/99) Vol. 75, No. 26, P. 34; Groopman, Jerome; Human papillomavirus ( HPV ) is the most common sexually transmitted disease (STD) in the United States and Europe. Experts note that the virus, which can lead to cervical cancer, is more easily transmitted than some other STDs, because HPV rests in both the outer skin and inner cells lining the vagina, cervix, a
Research Supports Aggressive Treatment for HIV-Infected Babies: American Medical News (09/13/99) Vol. 42, No. 34, P. 22; Moran, Mark; HIV-infected babies may benefit from antiretroviral drugs given closer to the time of delivery. The rapid progression of HIV in infected newborns makes quick treatment essential. T cells rapidly generate after birth as the baby grows; following this theory, the baby needs anti-AIDS drugs immediately to prevent the viru
Biological Treatment Approaches, Including Tat Toxoid Vaccine: Interview with Robert Gallo, M.D.: AIDS Treatment News (09/17/99) No. 327, P. 1; James, John S.; In an interview with AIDS Treatment News, Dr. Robert C. Gallo, director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland, discusses several issues, including the possibility of developing a Tat toxoid vaccine for HIV. The 1999 International Meeting of the Institute of Human Virology: A Symposium on HIV/
Kissei to Start Japan Sales of Glaxo Wellcome HIV Drug Tomorrow: Bloomberg News (09/30/99); Kissei Pharmaceutical announced it would begin selling Glaxo Wellcome s Agenerase , a treatment for HIV, in Japan on Friday. The twice-daily drug, the 13th approved for the treatment of HIV in Japan, will be sold in the country under the name Prozei for a price of 106.
UK Gives 14 Million Pounds to AIDS Vaccine Initiative, FT Reports: Bloomberg News (09/30/99); The government of the United Kingdom will donate about $23 million to the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative (IAVI) to help fund research for test vaccines for HIV. This is the first major government grant for the New York-based organization.
Treating Sexually Transmitted Diseases Does Not Reduce HIV Incidence in Mature HIV Epidemics, Study Says: US Newswire (09/29/99); A study by researchers at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health followed East African adults aged 15 to 59 who were interviewed five times about sexually transmitted disease (STD) symptoms and tested for HIV. The study found that HIV infection usually occurs with no STD symptoms, so therefore treating STDs is unlikely
Baboon Liver Passes Virus to Man: Reuters (09/29/99); Fox, Maggie; An experimental transplant of a baboon liver to an HIV patient failed when the liver infected the man with a baboon herpes virus called cytomegalovirus ( CMV ). The patient, who had hepatitis B , died after two months with the new liver.
AIDS Virus Rebounds When Drugs Withdrawn: United Press International (09/29/99); Susman, Ed; Aggressive drug therapy for AIDS, when halted, does not prevent detectable levels of HIV from forming. The virus rebounds quickly when highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is discontinued, and in a study by Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, all the patient
AIDS Pandemic Seen as Worsening Next Century: Reuters (09/30/99); Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, predicts in a recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine that the HIV epidemic will be much worse in the 21st century, unless treatments progress. New cases are growing at an alarming rate in developing countries, esp
Effects of HIV Counseling and Testing on Sexual Risk Behavior: A Meta-Analytic Review of Published Research, 1985-1997: American Journal of Public Health (09/99) Vol 89, No. 9, P. 1397; Weinhardt, Lance S.; Carey, Michael P.; Johnson, Blair T.; et al.; Researchers from Syracuse University investigated whether HIV counseling and testing (HIV-CT) results in reductions in sexual risk behavior. The team conducted a meta-analysis of 27 published studies involving nearly 20,000 individuals. According to the data, HIV-infected participants and HIV- serodiscordant couples de
The End of L'Affaire: POZ (09/99) No. 51, P. 62; Ireland, Doug; The HIV-tainted blood scandal that rocked France had sordid roots in politics and profit that are barely touched upon now that the primary players in the affair have been acquitted. Between 1982 and 1985, 6,000 people were infected with HIV through tainted blood transfusions. Over 1,500 of those people, many child-age
Progress Against AIDS Stalls, in Prevention and Treatment: American Medical News (09/20/99) Vol. 42, No. 35, P. 24; Shelton, Deborah L.; New statistics suggest that while the number of AIDS deaths in the United States continues to fall, the trend appears to have slowed. Combination antiretroviral drug regimens are in large part responsible for lowering the number of AIDS deaths. However, Dr. Helene Gayle, director of the Centers for Disease Control and
Photodynamic Therapy Provides Safe Palliative Therapy for HIV- Related KS: Reuters Health Information Services (09/27/99); Photofrin photodynamic therapy has shown itself to be safe and effective for patients with HIV-related cutaneous Kaposi s sarcoma (KS). A study by Dr. Zale Bernstein and associates at the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, published in the Sept. 10 issue of AIDS, tested 25 subjects, and found that 32.5 percent c
DuPont Says New Compounds Fight Mutant HIV: Reuters (09/27/99); Preclinical trials of four new compounds made by DuPont Pharmaceuticals show they are more effective than existing drugs in fighting mutant strains of HIV. The new compounds could help infected people who do not respond to standard treatments because of viral resistance or other reasons. The compounds, however, have no
Healthy Child Born After HIV-Infected Insemination and PEP Administration: Reuters Health Information Services (09/27/99); An Australian woman, artificially inseminated by a gay donor who was unknowingly seroconverting to HIV-positive, was given postexposure antiretroviral therapy. She and her infant did not become infected with HIV after using antiretroviral prophylaxis for 9 weeks. After two years, both the child and the mother remain he
FDA Says Abbott Laboratories Assay Kit Doesn't Comply With Quality Standards: Wall Street Journal (09/29/99) P. B8; Burton, Thomas M.; The U.S. FDA recently warned Abbott Laboratories that the company s diagnostic manufacturing facility near North Chicago, Ill., does not meet federal quality-assurance guidelines and could be shut down unless an agreement concerning the problems is reached soon. The facility produces about $1.5 billion in diagnostic e
AIDS Epidemic Slows World Population Growth: Report: Calgary Herald News Online (09/29/99); Bueckert, Dennis; The AIDS epidemic is killing so many people in Africa that it will slow world population growth, according to a report by the Worldwatch Institute. Researchers are surprised that African mortality rates will have such an effect, but estimate that in many African countries one fifth of their adult population will die in
Some HIV Drugs May Cause Birth Defects: Reuters (09/29/99); Two drugs used to treat HIV can cause potential birth defects and should not be used by pregnant women. Protease inhibitors ritonavir and indinavir caused some baby rats to be born missing an eye. Additionally, the baby rats developed hair and teeth slower than no
Researchers Unveil New Contraceptives: Bergen Record Online (09/29/99); Padawer, Ruth; Fields, Julie; The creation of two new contraceptives was announced at an international conference on reproductive medicine: one is a pill for men and the other a gel for women that also helps prevents HIV. The pill for men is a drug called nifedipine, widely used to treat high blood pressure, and it interferes with the sperm binding
Scientists Creating 'Invisible' Condoms: Boston Globe Online (09/29/99); Hsu, Karen; A new gel product using microbicides is being researched as a contraceptive which, when applied before sex, protects against HIV and possibly sexually transmitted diseases. Although a marketable date is years away, the gel is a potential solution to stopping the HIV-infection rate of sexually active women, who now numb
Misjudged Threat: Time (09/13/99) Vol. 154, No. 11, P. 88; Smith, Ian,; The number of AIDS deaths may still be falling, but the past few years decrease is slowing down at an alarming rate and may reach a stand-still. Findings recently presented at an HIV-prevention conference in Atlanta, hosted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, show that one of the chief groups at risk for
800,000 to Die of AIDS Before 2010: Africa News Online (09/24/99); Shivute, Oswald; In Namibia , an estimated 800,000 people will die from AIDS by 2010. In June 1999, the total number of HIV cases was 60,460, with pregnant women composing an average of 17.4 percent of the national total. Twenty-four new graduates of HIV-AIDS counseling and care at Oshakati State Hospital were warned of witch doctors f
HIV Risk Behavior Common in Brazil: Reuters Health Information Services (09/23/99); Ober, Tracey; Only one in four Brazilians used a condom during sex in the last 12 months, a total of about 24 percent of the population. Also, more Brazilians are having sex before they reach age 15- - 47 percent of men and 32 percent of women. These numbers suggest that better prevention strategies are necessary, especially with Br
Unsafe Sex Reported on the Rise Among Gays: Seattle Times Online (09/26/99); King, Warren; Many gay men who know the rhetoric of AIDS prevention are not taking precautions for safe-sex. In Washington state s King County, there has been an increase in sexually transmitted diseases among gay men, demonstrating a lack of protected sex. Drug therapy has made AIDS seem like a controllable disease, reducing the de
Help Is Far Off for Black AIDS Patients: Los Angeles Times Online (09/26/99); Stewart, Jocelyn Y.; African Americans with HIV have few places to turn to for housing in Los Angeles black neighborhoods. Only a fraction of the millions of federal dollars set aside for housing people with HIV in Los Angeles County is used to form facilities in black neighborhoods. With the highest rate of AIDS in the country, outside of
Merck Begins Trials for Once-Daily Dosage Crixivan: Dow Jones News (09/27/99); Connolly, Cressida; Once-daily doses of Merck s Crixivan were able to produce the same drug levels in the blood as the approved dosing when used in combination with the protease inhibitor Ritonavir , according to a pharmacokinetic study presented Monday by Merck at the Interscience Conf
Case of Fictitious HIV Reported: Reuters Health Information Services (09/27/99); Kerr, Martha; Clinicians at the Lahey Clinic in Boston treated a middle-aged woman with a suppurating middle ear infection who claimed she was HIV-positive. She was treated with antibiotics and finally triple-drug antiretroviral therapy over the span of six years, but did not respond to treatments. She resisted being tested for HIV,
High Rate of Bacterial Infection Reported for HIV-Infected Women: Reuters Health Information Services (09/27/99); Women with HIV and CD4 counts below 200 cells per microliter are eight times more likely to have had pneumonia than HIV- negative women, according to September s issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases. Such bacterial infections occur more frequently in HIV-positive women and are chief causes of mortality for infected wo
Gilead AIDS Drug Shows Promise Against Resistance: Wall Street Journal (09/28/99) P. B17; King, Ralph T., Jr.; Waldholz, Michael; Burton, Thomas M.; Gilead Sciences has created the AIDS drug tenofovir, which has a high antiviral effect with no toxicity in trial patients resistant to common AIDS therapies. New drugs are greatly needed as resistance grows among long-treated AIDS patients.
Stopping Medication OK for AIDS Infection: United Press International Science News (09/27/99); Susman, Ed; With new AIDS therapies helping patients immune systems, doctors believe that AIDS patients can quit taking medications to prevent opportunistic infections. The risk of contracting Mycobacterium avium complex ( MAC ) is extremely low if the patient takes antiretroviral therapy, according to a study supported by the Nat
AIDS Outlook Grim Despite Drugs, Experts Say: Reuters (09/28/99); Fox, Maggie; Multi-drug treatments for AIDS are beginning to fall short of their anticipated effectiveness, although the CDC revealed that HIV killed 20 percent fewer people in 1998 than in 1997. Toxic side-effects from treatment and drug-resistant strains of the virus are two unavoidable problems facing AIDS patients, who also dea
Nonprotease AIDS Cocktails Promising-U.S. Study: Reuters (09/28/99); Kahn, Michael; Researchers presented findings Monday at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy that showed AIDS-drug cocktails that do not include protease inhibitors can be effective in helping patients without the complications that often result from protease inhibitor drugs. In the 48-week study, rese
Fewer Walk the Walk Against AIDS: Washington Post (09/27/99) P. B2; Murphy, Caryle; The Whitman-Walker Clinic s 13th annual AIDS Walk raised from $1.2 million to $1.5 million for AIDS patients, with over 22,000 people participating. Last year about 28,000 people took part, and activists suspect the 21 percent decline is a sign that too many people believe the disease is under control. However, to keep
S. Africa Drugs Dispute Simmers Despite U.S. Deal: Reuters (09/23/99); Sithole, Emelia; Although the United States and South Africa struck a deal concerning AIDS drug patent rights and averted a trade war, South Africa is still battling the issue. South African drug companies and industry analysts call the deal misleading and say it was simply struck to facilitate President Thabo Mbeki s first visit to th
Glaxo Says New HIV Combination Therapies Show Positive Results: Bloomberg News (09/27/99); A new combination therapy consisting of Epivir , Retrovir, and Glaxo Wellcome s Agenerase was effective in reducing the viral loads below the level of detection in 93 percent of untreated AIDS patients treated for 48
Old Law Being Used to Stop Prostitutes From Spreading HIV: Tampa Tribune Online (09/25/99); A five-year-old law in Florida is being used to curb the spread of HIV by prostitutes. The law passed in 1994 states that an HIV-positive person who offers sex for money and knows that they are exposing others to the virus is committing a felony. Undercover police have already charged two women within three weeks. The
Over Two Million Kenyans Have AIDS, Officials Say: Reuters (09/26/99); Over two million people in Kenya have AIDS, with more than 100,000 being children under five. AIDS cases continue to increase in Kenya, and estimates project that by the year 2005, 2.5 million will have died from AIDS. In 1998, about 14 percent of the population was affected by AIDS.
BioChem's dOTC Can Cut HIV Levels by Factor of 10, Study Says: Bloomberg News (09/26/99); BioChem, a biotechnology company that developed AIDS therapy Epivir , revealed that the experimental AIDS drug dOTC, made by BioChem Pharma, has been shown to reduce the levels of HIV in blood by at least a factor of 10. The drug is called a reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and is effective when taken one time per day.
TB Cases in 1998 Total More Than 44,000: Kyodo News Service (09/24/99); There were 44,016 tuberculosis cases in Japan in 1998, according to a survey by Japan s Health and Welfare Ministry and of those patients, 2,795 died. The increase in TB cases is quickly growing, and the number of deaths from TB is rising as well. In 1998, most TB patients were over age 50, and 36 percent were over 70
AIDS Drug Works Against Malaria, Study Finds: Reuters (09/27/99); A study appearing in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene shows that a Glaxo Wellcome drug used to treat AIDS-related infections, Malarone, protects people from becoming infected with malaria after they are bitten by a mosquito carrying the Plasmodium falciparum parasite. Not only is Malarone 100 perc
Vaccines Do Not Cause Diabetes, Study Finds: Reuters (09/27/99); A controversy over potential hazards of immunizations has led to some debate about the safety of certain vaccines, but researchers have found no evidence that vaccines are harmful. Those voicing concern about dangerous vaccines have said that vaccines like the one for Hepatitis B can cause juvenile diabetes, but scient
It Costs $17,600 a Year to Treat HIV in U.S.-Study: Reuters (09/27/99); The cost to treat a person with three to four drugs for HIV is $17,600 a year. The multi-drug treatment being used is called highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), which keeps the virus level extremely low. A study by Caro Research, an independent consulting firm in Massachusetts, showed that HAART reduced the c
Will Wild Chimp Pee Tell All About HIV?: New Scientist (09/11/99) Vol.163, No.2203, P. 25; Brown, Phyllida; To learn more about the origins of HIV, researchers are studying the urine of wild chimpanzees. Compared to captive chimpanzees, which were taken from the wild while very young, wild chimps are more likely to carry a sexually transmitted virus. Simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) is closely related to HIV, and by compa
Notice to Readers: Satellite Broadcast on HIV Prevention: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (09/24/99) Vol. 48, No. 37, P. 831; The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Public Health Training Network will sponsor on Thursday, November 18, 1999, at 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST, a satellite broadcast, HIV Prevention with Faith Communities and Communities of Color. The broadcast will highlight activities and resources for HIV prevention with
First National AIDS Forum Opens: PANA Wire Service (09/23/99); Senegal s first national forum on AIDS research opened this week to discuss the state of HIV-related studies and suggest new directions for research. Participants will focus on issues including bio-clinics, prevention, counseling, and obstacles in HIV/AIDS research. The three-day conference is being sponsored by the Na
Minister Calls for Strategies to Curb AIDS Spread: Africa News Service (09/24/99); Mwaniki, Mike; Kenya s Office of the President minister, Marsden Madoka, recently asserted that there is a critical need to stem the spread of HIV among police officers. Although figures of police officers who have died from the scourge are not readily available, it was a fact that the police force has lost many officers to the pande
PCP Prophylaxis Can Be Discontinued After HAART-Induced CD4 Cell Increase: Reuters Health Information Services (09/23/99); A report in the September 10 issue of AIDS suggests that prophylaxis for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia ( PCP ) could be stopped in HIV-infected individuals who have an increase in CD4 cell counts to over 200 cells per microliter. Danish researchers studied 219 consecutive HIV-infected patients who halted the therapy a
Multidrug-Resistant TB Associated With Poor Survival in HIV- Infected Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/23/99); Italian researchers report that the median survival time among HIV-infected individuals following a diagnosis of multidrug- resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is about 50 percent lower than that for HIV-infected patients with TB that responds to treatment. More than 300 cases of culture-proven TB in HIV- positive patients
Cantab Releases Positive Results for Herpes Vaccine: Bloomberg News Service (09/23/99); Cantab Pharmaceuticals, a U.K.-based biotechnology company, said Thursday a Phase I trial involving its new vaccine and treatment for genital herpes , called Disc HSV , was successful and showed the product had an excellent safety profile. The company, which is developing the vaccine in cooperation with
Alarming Rise in Sex Diseases: New Zealand Press Online (09/24/99); In Wellington, New Zealand , rates of sexually transmitted diseases are rising at alarming rates. Over the past six months, there has been a 400 percent increase in HIV cases, according to the Wellington Independent Practice Association. Cases of gonorrhea have increased 50 percent, with an average of one case diagnose
Indian Government Re-Evaluates AIDS Control: Lancet (09/18/99) Vol. 354, No. 9183, P. 1010; Sharma, Dinesh C; AIDS programs in India will change during the next five years from a focus on awareness to prevention of the disease. The Indian government is also working to decrease the number of HIV transmissions from blood transfusions and hopes to increase voluntary blood donations to 60 percent. Donated blood will be tested for
WHO Gives Southeast Asia a Health Warning: Lancet (09/18/99) Vol. 354, No. 9183, P. 1010; Kumar, Sanjay; The World Health Organization (WHO) recently reported that the number of AIDS cases in southeast Asia rose 40 percent in the past two years. The overwhelming majority of these cases were in Thailand , Myanmar , and India , and experts at
South African Children the Forgotten Victims of AIDS: Reuters (09/22/99); By 2005, over 1 million children in South Africa will be parentless as a result of the AIDS epidemic. Mary Caesar, who is national coordinator for the AIDS Legal Network, is calling for legislation to protect children affected by AIDS. On Wednesday, experts told the South African parliament that an estimated 1.1 millio
Future: Cancer Cured; Poverty Lingers: United Press International (09/22/99); A poll conducted by National Family Opinion Research for the Billennium Organizing Committee, a marketing group in Chicago, anticipates that in the upcoming 100 years cancer will be cured. The survey of 1,000 Americans found that 50 percent expect a cure for cancer by the end of the next century, while 42 percent belie
New UCSF Research Center Will Focus on HIV at Molecular Level: Reuters Health Information Services (09/22/99); A new $7 million grant to the University of California at San Francisco AIDS Research Institute will allow for increased research on HIV prevention, including vaccine development. Researchers want to focus on how and to what extent drug- resistant HIV is being transmitted, along with molecular and cellular interactions
TB Cases Rise in Kenya's Nyanza Province: PANA Wire Service (09/22/99); Kenyan health officials report that the number of tuberculosis (TB) cases in Nyanza Province skyrocketed from 1,192 infections at the beginning of the decade to 8,342 infections in 1998. Medical services director Dr. Richard Otieno Muga attributed the significantly increased rates to the rising number of HIV and AIDS c
World's Population Is Expected to Top 6 Billion Next Month: New York Times (09/23/99) P. A5; The United Nations (UN) has forecast that the world s population will hit 6 billion people in October. The UN s State of the World Population Report 1999 notes that population growth in Africa is the highest, rising to 767 million since 1960, although the AIDS epidemic has taken its toll. While the UN said that many co
Gates Donation to Be Used to Combat Cervical Cancer: Wall Street Journal (09/23/99) P. C16; Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has given $50 million to be used for screening and treating cervical cancer in developing countries, where access to testing is not always available, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) announced. PAHO and other organizations, including the International Agency for Research on Canc
Researchers See Wart Virus as Probable Cause of Some Cancers: Boston Globe Online (09/23/99) P. A20; Fox, Maggie; Researchers at the University of Rochester Medical Center in New York said Wednesday that the human wart virus helps cause cancer by inhibiting the proteins necessary for cells to divide and differentiate. The scientists report in the Journal of the European Molecular Biology Organization that the virus appears to use
Free Markets Leave Women Worse Off, UNICEF Says: New York Times (09/23/99) P. A5; Olson, Elizabeth; A new study from the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) shows that since the collapse of Communism, women and girls in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe are now worse off. The report found that many women are unemployed for the first time, while the life expectancy of women in 16 of the 27 countries studi
Tuberculosis in Russia: Lancet (09/18/99) Vol. 354, No. 9183, P. 1036; Oswald, George R.; Afanasicv, Nikita Yu; Cegielski, J. Peter; et al.; In a letter to the editor of the Lancet, researchers from the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discuss a July 3 article about the difficulties of accurately reporting tuberculosis (TB) rates in Russia . Nicholas Banatvala, of Medical Emergency Relief I
Inverse Association Between BCG Immunisation and Intestinal Nematode Infestation Among HIV-1-Positive Individuals in Uganda (Research Letter): Lancet (09/18/99) Vol. 354, No. 9183, P. 1000; Elliott, Alison M.; Nakiyingi, Jessica; Quigley, Maria A.; New research from Uganda suggests that people who have received BCG immunization may not be as susceptible to worms. The researchers studied more than 1,300 HIV-1-infected adults at the Uganda Virus Research Institute and the AIDS Support Organization in Entebbe. A total of 103 of the subjects, who were enrolled in a t
ANC Launch of HIV/AIDS Awareness Campaign: Africa News Service (09/21/99); South Africa s African National Congress (ANC) in KwaZulu- Natal will begin this week an aggressive HIV/AIDS awareness effort. Coinciding with that launch in Durban, former President Nelson Mandela will introduce the ANC s national HIV/AIDS program in Johannesburg. The campaign will focus on prevention, getting people
HIV-Infected Individuals Benefit From Flu Vaccine: Reuters Health Information Services (09/21/99); Investigators from the U.S. Naval Medical Center in San Diego have concluded that the flu vaccine is extremely effective in HIV-1-infected individuals. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, is the first to research the clinical efficacy of the influenza vaccine among HIV-infected patients. According
Psychosocial and Demographic Factors Linked With HIV Therapy Adherence: Reuters Health Information Services (09/21/99); New research from Spanish investigators suggests that individuals who are depressed and who have a perceived lack of social support have difficulty adhering to antiretroviral drug therapies for HIV infection. The team studied 366 HIV- infected patients over the course of six months; all patients completed a questionnai
Thai AIDS Worries Don't Inspire Condom Use: Reuters (09/21/99); The Durex Global Safe Sex Survey shows that nearly 90 percent of young people in Thailand said that the risk of HIV infection has affected their sexual behavior, although only 23 percent used a condom during their first sexual encounter. In addition, 15 percent of Thai respondents said they limited the number of sexual
Brazilians Seen Lowering Guard on AIDS Safety: Reuters (09/21/99); Ober, Tracey; A new report shows that nearly half of Brazilian men and about one-third of Brazilian women had sexual intercourse before 15 years of age. The government report also showed that 76 percent of the population did not use a condom during sex in the last year. The study, commissioned by Brazil s health ministry, noted that
Clinton Encourages U.N. to Continue Intervening in Humanitarian Conflicts: Wall Street Journal (09/22/99) P. B9; Cummings, Jeanne; President Clinton addressed the United Nations on Tuesday, as the world body opened its 54th session in New York. Clinton touched on a number of issues in his speech, notably calling for further development of vaccines against malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis and other diseases that are prevalent in developing countries. T
Reduced Antiretroviral Drug Susceptibility Among Patients With Primary HIV Infection: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/22/99- 09/29/99) Vol. 282, No. 12, P. 1142; Little, Susan J.; Daar, Eric S.; D'Aquila, Richard T.; et al.; Researchers from the University of California at San Diego conducted a retrospective analysis of 141 patients and found that three were infected with HIV with a more than tenfold resistance to one or more AIDS drugs. More than one-quarter of the patients showed a reduced susceptibility of greater than 2.5 to 10 times t
HIV-1 Drug Resistance in Newly Infected Individuals: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/22/99- 09/29/99) Vol. 282, No. 12, P. 1135; Boden, Daniel; Hurley, Arlene; Zhang, Linqi; et al.; Researchers report that they found a 16.3 percent prevalence of HIV-1 variants with known resistance-conferring genotypes to any antiretroviral drug in a group of newly infected patients from New York and Los Angeles. Of the 67 patients for whom resistance could be tested, approximately 27 percent were at least threefo
Parents Appeal Against HIV Ruling: BBC News Online (09/21/99); The parents of a couple whose daughter was ordered to be tested for HIV are trying to appeal that decision. The High Court held that it was in the best interests of the infant, whose mother is HIV positive, to be screened for HIV. The parents oppose testing and believe it could result in further state intervention in h
Health Tips: Early Treatment May Be Best for HIV-Related Dementia: United Press International (09/20/99); Wasowicz, Lidia; Findings published in Neurology, the journal of the American Academy of Neurology, suggest that the early phases of HIV- related dementia may be treatable. According to the research, highly active antiretroviral therapy can undo chemical changes and brain damage that stem from HIV infection. Study author Dr. Linda Cha
Tolerance Induction to Nevirapine Successful for Some HIV- Infected Patients: Reuters Health Information Services (09/20/99); French scientists say that tolerance can be induced in some HIV patients who have developed nevirapine-related cutaneous hypersensitivity reactions. The researchers, from the Centre Hospitalier Universitaire in Montpellier, note that hypersensitivity reactions to medications are not unusual for HIV-infected individuals
Oral Azithromycin Equivalent to Intramuscular Penicillin for Syphilis Prevention: Reuters Health Information Services (09/21/99); New research suggests that one oral dose of azithromycin could be as effective as intramuscular injections of penicillin G benzathine for the prevention of syphilis in people exposed to infected sex partners. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, involved 96 individuals who had recently been exposed
Preaching Prevention: Florida Times-Union Online (09/21/99); Mattson, Marcia; Dr. Robert G. Brooks, Florida s new health secretary, stated Monday that public health officials need to emphasize disease prevention, a focus that would include teaching abstinence. At a statewide abstinence educators conference in Jacksonville, Brooks pointed out that while teenage pregnancy rates are falling, survey
Sex Survey Finds More Girls Are Fast, Forward: Edmonton Sun Online (09/21/99); Bergot, Nicole; The annual Durex Condoms Global Sex Survey reveals that an increasing number of young women know what they want in terms of sex. In addition, the survey of more than 4,000 young people found that British youths have sex an average of 133 times annually, followed by 128 times in the United States and 113 times in
State Says HIV Reporting Is Short on Data: Boston Globe Online (09/21/99); A more standardized method of reporting HIV cases is needed in Connecticut because the existing system does not supply enough data about how the virus is transmitted, according to state health officials. A total of 352 HIV infections were reported in Connecticut during the first six months of the year; however, officia
Encouraging HIV-Positive People to Participate in Clinical Trials: British Medical Journal Online (09/18/99) Vol. 319, No. 7212, P. 787b; Williams, Jeffrey H.; There are several reasons why it is becoming more difficult to recruit patients for clinical trials of AIDS drugs in the United Kingdom . In a letter to the editor of the British Medical Journal, Jeffrey H. Williams, health promotion officer for the Terrence Higgins Trust in London, notes that there are only so many tr
Fishermen Losing Fight Against AIDS: Africa News Online (09/17/99); Ouko, Pamela; Researchers say that fishermen in Lake Victoria are particularly vulnerable to HIV. A report presented at a recent seminar in Mbita, Kenya , noted that residents of the Suba District still follow such practices as forced early marriages of girls, wife inheritance, and aversion to HIV prevention methods such as condoms.
AIDS Forecast to Break 200,000 Barrier by 2000: Africa News Online (09/17/99); Amupadhi, Tangeni; New estimates forecast that Namibia will have recorded more than 200,000 HIV infections by year-end. The National AIDS Coordination Program listed over 60,000 cases of HIV between 1988 and June 1999, with more than 7,000 HIV infections recorded in the first half this year. However, because the statistics do not include
Researchers Say AIDS Vaccine in Sight: Africa News Service (09/17/99); Kayaya, Musengwa; The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative predicts that it may be possible to develop vaccines against AIDS within the next five or six years. Organization president Seth Berkley explained, We think that with the current research work we are ... doing with our partners in various places, we could soon develop a safe, e
Call for More Funding for Family Planning: Fox News Online (09/17/99); A new report calls for increased commitment throughout the world to financing family planning efforts. The report, published in Johns Hopkins University s Population Reports, notes that the programs are critical to help reduce the risk of sexually transmitted diseases and to lower infant and maternal mortality rates.
UK Couple Flees After HIV Test Ordered: Fox News Online (09/18/99); Rather than have their daughter tested for HIV, a British couple has reportedly fled the country. London s High Court ruled earlier this month that the five-month-old girl, who is being breastfed, must be tested because her mother is infected with HIV. According to a report in the Daily Mail, the couple is against HIV
Teens Alert Peers to the Perils of HIV: Los Angeles Times Online (09/18/99); Gorman, Anna; A new program for teenagers in California s Ventura County trained area high school students to talk to their peers about HIV prevention. The teenagers were educated about HIV and AIDS, talked with an HIV-positive patient, and practiced talking to other teens about prevention. The students now give one-hour talks to te
On the Trail of Hepatitis C: USA Today (09/20/99) P. 6D; A program launched last year began testing emergency room patients for the hepatitis C virus (HCV). Under the program, patients entering the emergency rooms of participating hospitals are tested for HCV, and the results are posted-- without the patients names--on the Internet. According to Alan Zelicoff of Sandia Nat
U.S., South Africa End Trade Battle Over AIDS Drugs: Wall Street Journal (09/20/99) P. B6; Davis, Bob; In a move to settle a trade fight concerning AIDS drugs, South Africa has agreed in writing to make sure its new laws do not violate international rules on intellectual property. Although South African health officials have long stated they would not infringe on the international agreements, the pledge had previously o
UNAIDS to Publish HIV-Vaccine-Trial Ethics Guidance: Lancet (09/11/99) Vol. 354, No. 9182, P. 923; Ramsay, Sarah; The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS has prepared a document on ethical considerations in HIV vaccine research. Like the first document that attempted to develop universally acceptable ethical guidelines, no consensus was reached. The first version was presented last June at a meeting of UNAIDS ,
High Prevalence of Chlamydial and Gonococcal Infection in Women Entering Jails and Juvenile Detention Centers--Chicago, Birmingham, and San Francisco, 1998: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (09/17/99) Vol. 48, No. 36, P. 793; Researchers attempted to determine the feasibility of testing women in corrections facilities for chlamydial and gonococcal infection using urine tests. They also assessed the prevalences of the two sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The researchers found that a large percentage of women entering corrections facilit
Zambia Says Debt Relief Crucial in Fighting AIDS: Reuters (09/16/99); Esipisu, Manoah; Zambian officials said Thursday that substantial debt relief is needed to free up the necessary resources to respond to the AIDS epidemic. The country s real gross domestic product per capita dropped 5 percent in 1998, while inflation soared 30.6 percent at year-end from 18.6 percent in 1997. Finance Minister Katele Ka
New Study Finds 536,000 Brazilians HIV Infected: Reuters (09/16/99); New statistics from the Brazilian Health Ministry show that 536,000 of the nation s 165 million people are infected with HIV. According to the study, 0.61 percent of the population has HIV, with the majority of the infections--330,600--located in the southeast part of the country. The ministry noted that the new figure
Proteins May Hold New Anti-TB Weapons: Fox News Online (09/16/99); Researchers from the University of Wales announced Wednesday that five proteins in the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium may be useful in treating, diagnosing, and preventing the disease. Although the research is still preliminary, the scientists suggested the proteins might be used to create vaccines that would protect peop
HHS Awards $3.9 Million to Improve HIV/AIDS Care: U.S. Newswire (09/16/99); The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has awarded $3.9 million in planning grants in an effort to increase HIV/AIDS care to African-Americans and people in rural and underserved regions. In announcing the awards, HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala said, These grants will help address two key challenges of
Partnership Seeks to Create Comprehensive National AIDS Programs in Africa: Reuters Health Information Services (09/16/99); In an effort to boost international efforts and resources in Africa s battle against AIDS, a partnership has been formed between African governments, international groups, UNAIDS , UNICEF, the UN Development Program, the World Health Organization , and the World Bank. The International Partnership Against AIDS in Afri
African AIDS Summit Ends With Appeal to Leaders: CNN Online (09/17/99); As the 11th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases came to a close on Thursday, experts called on African governments to be more aggressive in the fight against AIDS. While costly AIDS drugs are out of reach for most Africans, conference participants also noted that some governments and dono
Prevalence and Correlates of Survival Sex Among Runaway and Homeless Youth: American Journal of Public Health (09/99) Vol. 89, No. 9, P. 1406; Greene, Jody M.; Ennett, Susan T.; Ringwalt, Christopher L.; In an effort to assess the prevalence and correlates of survival sex among runaway and homeless youths, researchers from the Research Triangle Institute and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill studied more than 600 youths in shelters and over 500 on the streets. The report shows that more than one-quarter o
Uganda Imports 10 Million Condoms: Kyodo News Service (09/16/99); In an effort to prevent a shortage caused by bureaucratic delays and increasing use in the face of the AIDS epidemic, the Ugandan government has imported 10 million condoms. The prophylactics will be distributed free of charge in hospitals beginning next month. Officials noted that approximately 80 million condoms are
M.L. Labs Permitted to Do AIDS Drug Test in U.S.: Reuters (09/16/99); The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given England s M.L. Laboratories permission to conduct intermediate Phase II tests of its Viraldon AIDS drug. The study will involve late-stage AIDS patients who will receive the treatment every other day for eight weeks. Phase II/III trials of the drug are currently being con
AIDS in Cambodia Said as Lethal as Pol Pot Regime: Reuters (09/16/99); Cambodian officials announced Thursday that HIV could be as deadly for the country as the radical Khmer Rouge regime, when 1.7 million people were killed between 1975 and 1979 during the rule of Pol Pot. An estimated 100 Cambodians contract HIV daily, and 180,000 people are already infected with the virus. Unprotected
AIDS Killing Teachers in Central African Republic: Kyodo News Service (09/15/99); A United Nations Children s Fund study released Wednesday found that AIDS is the leading cause of death among teachers in the Central African Republic . More than 85 percent of teachers deaths for which the causes were determined were attributed to AIDS in 1996 and 1997. In addition, the study noted that a shortage of
Scientists Look for New Drugs in Old Plants: CNN Online (09/15/99); British researchers are studying a variety of plants to help find new treatments for potent and re-emerging diseases like tuberculosis (TB), obesity, and Alzheimer s. One of the most promising lines of such research is the use of bluebells to treat TB, which kills 3 million people a year. Daffodils are also being stud
Government Funds HIV Vaccine Development Using Equine Encephalitis Vector: Reuters Health Information Services (09/15/99); The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded a five-year, $12 million grant to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to develop an HIV vaccine that uses a modified version of the Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEE). Preliminary animal studies of the method found that the modifi
US to Extend $41.5 Million Loan for India AIDS Project: Reuters (09/15/99); The U.S. Agency for International Development has agreed to loan India $41.5 million to help control sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV. The seven-year effort will be focused on Maharashtra, which is located in the western part of the country, and will be conducted by the National AIDS Control Organization an
AIDS Eclipses War, Orphaning Millions of Children, U.N. Says: Washington Times (09/16/99) P. A14; Shaw, Angus; Officials from the United Nations Children s Fund (UNICEF) said Wednesday that as a result of the AIDS epidemic, some 13 million African children will be orphaned within the next 18 months. At the 11th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases in Lusaka, Zambia , UNICEF head Carol Bellamy st
Hepatitis C Trial: Journal of the American Medical Association (09/15/99) Vol. 282, No. 11, P. 1028; Stephenson, Joan; A $28 million trial of antiviral drugs for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is being sponsored by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. The eight-year study will be conducted at nine centers throughout the United States .
Prevalence and Clinical Outcome of Hepatitis C Infection in Children Who Underwent Cardiac Surgery Before the Implementation of Blood-Donor Screening: New England Journal of Medicine (09/16/99) Vol. 341, No. 12, P. 866; Vogt, Manfred; Lang, Thomas; Frosner, Gert; et al.; German researchers studied 458 children who underwent cardiac surgery prior to 1991, when blood-donor screening for hepatitis C virus (HCV) began in Germany . The patients, who were compared to 458 controls, never had blood transfusions and none of their mothers had antibodies to hepatitis C (anti- HCV).
Region's New HIV Cases Level Off: CNews Online (www.canoe.ca) (09/15/99); Murray, Caroline; Statistics show that the number of new HIV infections in Canada s Ottawa-Carleton region has plateaued. A total of 143 new HIV infections were reported to the area s health department last year, nearly one-third of which were among homosexual men. Heterosexual sex and injection drug use were also cited as key methods o
AIDS Experts Cautiously Welcome UK Vaccine Test: Reuters (09/14/99); Conti, Domenico; Participants at the 11th International Conference on AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Diseases gave cautious praise to news that an HIV vaccine will be tested in Britain. Researchers, led by Professor Andrew McMichael of John Radcliffe University in Oxford, announced earlier this week they would launch next year safety tr
"World Bank Approves $191 Million Loan to India for AIDS Control: Bloomberg News Service (09/14/99); India s government has signed an agreement with the World Bank to borrow $191 million in an effort to stem the spread of HIV. A statement from the Ministry of Finance said the funds will be used to lower the rate of growth of HIV/AIDS infection in India and [strengthen] the capacity to respond to HIV/AIDS. The five-yea
World Bank to Increase Funding in Africa: Reuters (09/14/99); Esipisu, Manoah; The World Bank has announced a significant increase in its funding for AIDS programs in Africa. According to World Bank official Callisto Madavo, a large portion of the International Development Association s (IDA s) $3 billion annual budget will b