WASHINGTON - For the next three years, Doug Pfaff and Rand Snell, both sexually active gay men, will roll up their sleeves for injections that scientists hope will protect them against AIDS. Pfaff, a 39-year-old salesman for a computer training company from Fredericksburg, Va., and Snell, 43, a public relations consult
WASHINGTON - President Clinton has set a deadline of the year 2007 for the development of a vaccine against AIDS Approximately 40 AIDS vaccines are being studied around the world and three of them already show promise, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Dise
Assemblywoman Carole Migden has reintroduced legislation that would use an anonymous code system to report all statewide HIV infections to public health officials in the hopes that Gov.-elect Gray Davis will sign it into law. The bill, announced Monday by the San Francisco Democrat, would require that any HIV infection
Between 7 and 13 percent of people may carry a genetic variation that helps HIV along its deadly path, speeding its progression to full-blown AIDS by as much as five years, researchers have found. Their study, to published in Friday s edition of in the journal Science, is the latest in a recent string of discoveries of
San Francisco Examiner - Tuesday, November 10, 1998
Examiner Editorial Writer
WHILE the number of AIDS deaths in this country and other industrialized nations is on the decline, the epidemic in sub-Saharan Africa is growing at frightening speed. A report published by the United Nations shows that AIDS is devastating the population growth of some African countries, and is expected to cut life exp
WASHINGTON - The prized photos in the office of Dr. Anthony Fauci, one of the nation s top scientific warriors against AIDS, highlight a small irony. There he is - the director of the federal agency that oversees about half of the government s AIDS research in framed snapshots with such famous battlers against the dead
Ulysses Torassa, Examiner Medical Writer; Examiner news services contributed to this report.
Fatality rate falls 47% - disease no longer among U.S. top 10 killers AIDS is no longer one of the top 10 causes of death nationwide, according to a government report, and in San Francisco the number of deaths has also continued to decline sharply. New protease inhibitor drugs that have prolonged many lives are credite
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, Sept. 16, 1998
Judy Holland, Examiner Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON - The House has overwhelmingly approved a resolution declaring its unequivocal opposition to legalizing marijuana for medicinal use on grounds that it is dangerous and addictive. The 310-93 vote for the resolution - sponsored by Rep. Bill McCollum, R-Fla. - is a response to 1996 ballot initiatives approved i
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, July 1, 1998
Keay Davidson, Examiner Science Writer
Poor San Franciscans who are infected with HIV receive far too few AIDS-fighting drugs that might prolong their lives and ease their suffering, a UC-San Francisco study has found. Of the 151 people studied, only 8 percent receive protease inhibitors , which rank high among the heavy hitters of AIDS medications. Only 28
Young gay men lacking self-esteem about their gayness are likelier to engage in unsafe sexual practices and, hence, to fall prey to the AIDS virus, according to recent research. Surveying 302 young gay men in three medium-sized cities on the West Coast, UC-San Francisco researcher Craig Waldo and his colleagues sought
Justices say infection qualities as disability under federal law. AIDS activists hailed the U.S. Supreme Court s ruling that HIV-infected people are protected from discrimination as proof that bias is unjustified, even if the targets suffer no symptoms of AIDS. The ruling was the first AIDS-related ruling by the Suprem
A NEW United Nations report draws a stark picture of the AIDS virus devastating the dimly aware populations of several African countries. The worst-hit are Zimbabwe and Botswana , where one in four adults is infected with HIV. That forecasts an awesome body count from AIDS-related illnesses in the next decade.
Justices rule that anti-bias law covers even those without AIDS symptoms In a case with sweeping ramifications for HIV patients and others with disabilities, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled Thursday that HIV-infected people are protected by the Americans With Disabilities Act, even if they suffer no symptoms of AIDS. It w
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, June 17, 1998
Keay Davidson, Examiner Science Writer
After two years of high hopes for new AIDS-fighting drugs, a letdown is likely at the upcoming international AIDS conference, a top expert warns. The much-ballyhooed AIDS drugs known as protease inhibitors are not working as well as hoped, said Thomas J. Coates, director of the UCSF AIDS Research Institute. They w
WASHINGTON - Women and minority men are more likely than white men to delay seeking treatment for AIDS, and they tend to receive less effective care for the deadly disease, according to a new study. Researchers from UC-San Francisco and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore found that a larger proportion of women and m
When you re dealing with AIDS, life can sometimes feel like a roll of the dice. But one San Francisco AIDS organization parlayed that feeling into one of fun by hosting Casino Night, a volunteer appreciation party and fund-raiser held Saturday night in true Las Vegas-style tackiness. There were cheesy lounge acts, disc
Marianne Costantinou and Gregory Lewis of the Examiner Staff; Ray Delgado and Tyche Hendricks of The Examiner staff contributed to this report.
Peron concedes defeat after deputies padlock longest-running center in state They had vowed to handcuff themselves inside, to have the sick and dying lock arms in protest. It was going to be a fight to the end, a media blitz so loud and so heart-rending that the judges and cops would have to back off. Instead, the end
Even as it provides scientific evidence that needle exchanges work, the administration, for political reasons, refuses to fund them HERE S an idea with dumb and deadly written all over it: The Clinton administration knows that needle exchange programs save lives, but it won t lift the nine-year-old ban against providin
THIS WEEK, House Speaker Newt Gingrich and other top Republicans blasted President Clinton for endorsing needle exchange programs to prevent AIDS among drug users, even though Clinton will not allow federal funds for such programs. What s a little heroin or cocaine among friends? Gingrich said sarcastically at a news c
Cheap and simple interventions significantly could slow the AIDS epidemic in the developing world, but even these modest prevention tools are financially out of reach of beleaguered nations, according to experts at a UC-San Francisco-sponsored AIDS conference. We know what works. We ve shown it s effective. What we nee
In response to growing concern about on-the-job needle stick injuries, health care workers gathered at San Francisco General Hospital to demand that all city-run hospitals and health clinics provide safe syringes. The lives of many thousands of nurses, physicians and others have been shattered by infection with HIV and
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, April 8, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, a new study found that most pregnant women will accept prenatal testing for HIV if they know that treatment exists to reduce transmission to their infants - but few are aware of this intervention. Some experts have warned that routine HIV testing could alienate pregnant patients, keeping them away from prena
S.F. survey shows 1 in 3 infected with sexually transmitted HHV8, leading to Kaposi s sarcoma About one out of three surveyed gay men in San Francisco is infected with the virus that causes the cancer called Kaposi s sarcoma, scientists have found. The virus, herpes virus 8 (HHV8), is transmitted sexually and may be pr
THIS WEEK, Bay Area volunteers are participating in the first study of the safety and feasibility of genetically modified blood cells designed to fight HIV infection. Patients receive an infusion of their own cells, which have been modified to include a mutant gene that interferes with the ability of HIV to reproduce.
WASHINGTON - Supreme Court justices appeared divided Monday on whether persons who have HIV are covered by a federal law that protects the disabled against discrimination. At issue before the court was the case of Sidney Abbott, 37, of Bangor, Maine, who was denied treatment by a dentist, Dr. Randon Bragdon in a routin
Infection with the AIDS virus is no longer a death sentence. But is it a disability? That s the question facing the Supreme Court on Monday, when it hears oral arguments in a landmark case that asks justices, for the first time, to define the boundaries of the Americans With Disabilities Act. See: Abbott v. Bragdon
People who have repeated, unprotected exposure to HIV - yet remain uninfected - have a unique immune response that could serve as a model for protective vaccines, virologist Dr. Jay Levy reported at the 10th National AIDS Update Conference in San Francisco. This natural response, which has protected at least 70 individ
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, March 25, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, the 10th National AIDS Update conference meets in San Francisco s Bill Graham Auditorium. Dr. Jay A. Levy, internationally renowned virologist and professor of medicine at UC-San Francisco, will open the conference with an overview of HIV science - where it is and where it s going. Sandra Thurman, director o
A new medical study has found that HIV patients who want to stay healthy must adhere to anti-viral therapies without fail, perhaps for a lifetime. Treatment is a lifelong commitment, without mistakes, said Dr. Julio S. Montaner, lead investigator of the international study, published in the Journal of the
State to distribute them for free Get something for nothing: a free prepaid telephone card - and an AIDS education. The state Department of Health Services is launching the first long-distance calling card campaign aimed at reducing the spread of HIV, giving away 50,000 free 10-minute cards to Californians at high risk
THIS WEEK, the California Medical Association is drafting a reporting law that would dramatically shift the way state officials track and report HIV disease. In addition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to release within the next several months HIV reporting recommendations to states. Th
THIS WEEK, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Native Americans and native Alaskans have roughly the same rate of new AIDS cases as whites, despite living in mostly remote areas. There were about 10 new AIDS cases per 100,000 Native Americans and native Alaskans in 1996, compared with 11 new ca
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, March 4, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, research released by San Francisco AIDS experts shows that homeless people adhere just as well as anyone else to their HIV treatments - if they get help for their other problems, as well. Between 80 and 90 percent of the homeless or marginally housed San Franciscans with HIV who take anti-viral
The San Francisco Examiner; Friday, February 26, 1998
Tyche Hendricks of the Examiner Staff
Through a cloud of marijuana smoke, patrons at the San Francisco Cannabis Cultivator s Club voiced their outrage and dismay over a state Supreme Court decision that could lead to the closure of all medical marijuana clubs in California. If this club closes, I will be out here protesting. I will go to jail, said Wayne J
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, February 25, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, hundreds of doctors, scholars, AIDS service providers and patients from around the nation will gather in Oakland for two days to discuss the HIV-AIDS epidemic in the African American community. The conference, called Empowering the African American Community Living with HIV / AIDS, will be held Thursday and
The San Francisco Examiner; Tuesday, February 17, 1998
Examiner Editorial Writer
SILENCE about a person s HIV-positive status is justified in most circumstances. The general public is so fearful of AIDS - often unreasonably and ignorantly - that those infected with the virus that causes it should not be branded for all to see. Too many people refuse to believe the fact that HIV cannot be transmitte
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, February 11, 1998
Lisa Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, researchers returned home from the Fifth Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections in Chicago with new information -- good and bad -- about anti-viral drug cocktails. Paunches, lumps in the neck, puffy cheeks and other unusual accumulations of fat are changing the body shapes of a surprising nu
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, February, 4, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, UC-San Francisco researchers report a dramatic decline in several common opportunistic infections in HIV patients at San Francisco General Hospital. They credit the decline to new potent drugs called protease inhibitors , used in combination with older anti-viral agents. Between 1994 and 1997, diagnoses of
Scientists have pinpointed what is believed to be the earliest known case of AIDS, a discovery that suggests that the multitude of global AIDS viruses all shared a common African ancestor only 40 or 50 years ago. While the modern world rocked to Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry, an African tribesman died of a mysterious d
Overcrowded social service programs bearing the cost of longer lives of AIDS patients The past year has seen extraordinary changes in the AIDS epidemic, changes that are prolonging the lives of many San Franciscans. But now the bill has come due. AIDS patients are relying less on hospitals and hospices but more on alre
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, January 28, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, another step has been taken toward understanding how human genetic variability affects susceptibility to HIV infection and clinical prognosis. Consistent with earlier findings in adults, researchers have found that a genetic mutation in some children can slow the progression of HIV disease, according to a re
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, January 28, 1998
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
The past year has seen extraordinary changes in the AIDS epidemic, changes that are prolonging the lives of many San Franciscans. But now the bill has come due. AIDS patients are relying less on hospitals and hospices but more on already overcrowded programs that provide food, shelter, clothing, drug treatment, mental
A panel of San Francisco AIDS experts recommends that The City consider requiring doctors to report every HIV infection to the Health Department - a controversial plan that nonetheless may be the only way to reliably track the epidemic. The approach will be proposed at Tuesday s AIDS summit convened by Mayor Brown in r
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, Jan. 14, 1998 - Page A 4
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association concludes that the cost of AIDS care, although expensive, falls within the price range of widely accepted treatments for other diseases. The most cost-effective combination of antiviral and antibiotic medicines to treat HIV costs between $29,000 and
The San Francisco Examiner; Tuesday, Jan. 13, 1998 - Page A 3
Robert Salladay, Examiner Capitol Bureau
SACRAMENTO - When Kate Shindle s mother expressed shock that condoms came in different colors, the reigning Miss America didn t bat an eyelash before responding: Mother, they come in different flavors. Shindle, a Northwestern University senior, brought her nontraditional beauty-queen message about AIDS-prevention to th
The San Francisco Examiner; Monday, Jan. 12, 1998 - Page A 23
David Dalton; Examiner's computer systems director and is working on a novel, "The Crippled Collie of Haight Street."
YOU RE going to want to slap me after a few paragraphs, so let me acknowledge even before I start that I grew up in the South, and that Southerners rarely abandon a cultural assumption that is almost hard-wired into us: That there must be limits to tolerance, and that there are times when we simply must tell people tha
The San Francisco Examiner; Friday, Jan. 9, 1998 - Page A 2
Lisa M. Krieger, Examiner Medical Writer
Deaths from AIDS in California have plummeted, falling 60.1 percent in one year, state health officials said Friday. San Francisco followed the trend, showing a marked decline in the first half of last year in the number of deaths among people with AIDS. The Department of Health Services said the decline was due to a s
The San Francisco Examiner; Wednesday, Jan. 7, 1998 - Page A 4
Lisa M. Krieger of the Examiner Staff
THIS WEEK, Mayor Brown s office is preparing for the Summit on AIDS and HIV, an all-day conference Jan. 27 to debate changes in how The City fights the epidemic. An estimated 100 recommendations for specific policy changes are expected to come out of the conference, based on a written report to be presented there. The
The San Francisco Examiner; Sunday, January 4, 1998, pages D-1, D-3
Lisa M. Krieger, Examiner Medical Writer
Today, another 100 Americans will be infected with the AIDS virus at a cost of untold dollars and heartache. Of these, a few will be San Franciscans. The success story of the late 1980s -- when a deadly new epidemic triggered a profound change in human health behavior, sending infection rates plummeting -- has come to
San Francisco Examiner - Thursday, October 1, 1998
Robert Salladay, Examiner Capitol Bureau
SACRAMENTO - Gov. Wilson has vetoed legislation creating a statewide system for reporting HIV statistics, a move San Francisco activists and health officials say is a blow to public health. Wilson said the measure, written by Assemblywoman Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, was flawed because the HIV-infected person s nam
THIS WEEK, attorneys predicted that the HIV discrimination case now before the U.S. Supreme Court could have major ramifications for related litigation much closer to home. The outcome of Bragdon vs. Abbott, which asks the court to define who qualifies for protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act, is very l
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