The San Francisco Examiner - Wednesday, Sept. 8, 1997
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff

The AIDS capital of the U.S. is New York City, with 117 cases per 100,000 residents. New York City is followed by nearby Jersey City, N.J., with 110 cases, and Miami, Fla., with 87 cases.

The Bay Area ranked fourth in the nation, with 83 AIDS cases per 100,000 residents.

Other metropolitan areas of California with high AIDS incidence rates were Los Angeles, with 35 cases; San Diego, with 30.5 cases; and Riverside / San Bernardino, with 19 cases per 100,000 residents.

Researcher quits post

Dr. William Paul, the top federal HIV researcher, is leaving his position to work full time seeking a vaccine against the virus.

Since February 1994, Paul has been in charge of the Office of AIDS Research, an arm of the National Institutes of Health responsible for $1.4 billion in annual research. The 61-year-old scientist also heads the Laboratory of Immunology at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, also part of NIH, and will remain in that position.

"Formidable obstacles lie ahead," he said. "We must find solutions, both in the form of therapies and prevention methods, that will be useful and available to everyone, including those in developing nations. Above all, we must find a preventive vaccine."

Paul is known for his discovery of interleukin-4, a primary chemical regulator of the immune system. Under his guidance, the Office of AIDS Research streamlined its research effort, increased money for vaccine research and brought more people into the effort through grants. His office also hired Dr. David Baltimore, a Nobel laureate, to chair the AIDS vaccine research committee.

A replacement has not yet been named.

New combination cocktail

A triple-drug cocktail using a member of the newest class of AIDS drugs pushed HIV down to undetectable levels in more than half of patients, researchers told the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy in Toronto last week.

The combination of nevirapine - a drug marketed under the name Viramune, one of a group of new agents called non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors - with the older drugs AZT and ddI also boosted immune system levels, the researchers said.

"These results are promising because a majority of study participants showed a sustained increase in CD4 cells, as well as potent viral load reductions from an average of 500,000 copies to below the limit of detection," said Stefano Vella of the Istituto Superiore di Sanita in Rome.

Living with HIV

The Harvey Milk Institute is launching several courses for people with HIV in October and November. They include: "Hatha Yoga," "Rights In the Workplace for People with HIV," "Draft Your Own Will," and "Alternative Healthcare Modalities," focusing on hypnotherapy, acupuncture, homeopathy and chiropractic care. For information on dates and enrollment, call (415) 552-7200.

Events

* "A Community Forum on HIV Reporting and Surveillance," featuring Dr. Sandra Hernandez, former director of the S.F. Department of Health, will be held Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Everett Middle School, 450 Church St. This forum will review proposed guidelines by the federal Centers for Disease Control to make HIV a reportable disease. Call (415) 821-2217.

*All Shanti clients and their children are invited to an afternoon Halloween party with costume making and pumpkin carving Saturday from 3 to 6 p.m. Call (415) 487-4743.

* "The neurological and psychological complications of HIV," a talk by Dr. Lisa Capaldini, will be held next Wednesday from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Davies Hospital Auditorium.

* "Benefits and HIV," a two-day seminar for AIDS service providers, will be offered by AIDS Benefits Counselors on Oct. 16 and 17. $75 a day. Call (415) 558-9845.

*A workshop called "Self-esteem and HIV: Helping the Community To Help Itself" will be held at Unity Church of Richmond from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 18. Call (510) 236-4480.

The toll

John M. Kovach, 50, a former pianist for the S.F. Ballet and School and co-founder of the S.F. Gay Freedom Day Marching Band, who assembled a performance diary of the legendary Norwegian soprano Kirsten Flagstad . . . Nicholas Mancini, 36, former manager of the Grubstake restaurant . . . David W. Sacre, a native Australian who tuned and maintained the great Ruffatti organ in Davies Symphony Hall and, until his illness, was organist for St. Peter's Roman Catholic Church in the ission District.

. . . . . .Date . . . . . .reported. . Cases. . Deaths S.F.. . . .9/1 . . . . 24,611 . 16,878 Calif.. . .9/1 . . . .102,574 . 65,463 U.S.. . . .9/1 . . . .581,429 .362,004 WHO(rprtd) 9/1 . . .8,400,000 6,400,000

Figures are cumulative since June 1981. Government officials now compile and release statistics quarterly, not monthly.

To contribute to AIDSweek, call (415) 777-7867. AIDSweek columns are available on the Internet at www.examiner.com / aidsweek / aidsweek.html
971008
SE971003

AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 1997. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .