Washington Blade - November 25, 2005

LONDON - One of the world's top AIDS experts agreed to examine a man who tested positive for HIV last year, then this summer tested negative, the Mirror of London reported. Officials at the clinic that originally gave Andrew Stimpson, 25, results that said he had HIV, however, now say he never had the virus. Professor Jonathan Weber said the key to Stimpson's "cure" may lie in his blood, and Stimpson said he is excited to work with the medical leader. "I'm delighted Professor Weber has agreed to take this inquiry on. I think I could hold the key to helping rid AIDS," Stimpson told the Mirror. Original blood samples that Stimpson gave to the Victoria Clinic in London came back with mixed results. Two tests showed that he was HIV-positive, while four follow-up tests found him negative. UPI reported last week, however, that the Chelsea & Westminster NHS Trust, the clinic that originally tested Stimpson, said he never had the virus. "It is probable there was never any evidence of him having the HIV virus," officials told UPI. "We don't know exactly what happened." Stimpson said in response that he had lost "all confidence" in the clinic, according to the Mirror.

Gay men at high risk in St. Louis, city with worst gonorrhea rate in U.S.

ST. LOUIS (AP) - St. Louis, which has ranked high in cases of sexually transmitted diseases in the past, has the worst gonorrhea rate in the nation, the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention said. The city also ranked second in chlamydia and fifth in rates of syphilis nationwide. The CDC report, which uses 2004 data, says young people, minorities and men who have sex with men were at greatest risk. The CDC says 2,440 cases of gonorrhea were reported in St. Louis, a rate of 734 cases per 100,000 people. Dr. William Kincaid, director of the St. Louis health department, said the city is aware of the problem and has a strategy for fighting it. "We want to get the word out that these diseases are treatable, and we want to get people into treatment as fast as we can," Kincaid told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "We know if people are having unprotected sex and are spreading chlamydia, syphilis and gonorrhea, they are also spreading HIV."

Progress in determining cause for vaginosis, more common in lesbians

SEATTLE, Wash. - Researchers have found three newly recognized bacteria amid efforts to identify specific bacterial markers for bacterial vaginosis, United Press International reported. For reasons not yet understood, the frequency of bacterial vaginosis or BV is higher among lesbians and bisexual women. Dr. David Fredricks of the Program in Infectious Disease at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center and Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo of the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Center conducted the research. The scientists said they hope the findings assist in identification of the specific cause and of better treatment for BV.

Red Cross policy on gay blood donors sparks rift in Australia

SYDNEY - Gay Australians are at odds over Red Cross restrictions on blood donations from gay men, Cybercast News Service reported. Some gay rights activists accuse others of undermining a message of safe sex by implying that sex between men carries the risk of HIV/AIDS even if condoms are used, an argument that many conservatives have used for some time. A legal complaint before the state of Tasmania's Anti-Discrimination Commission triggered the rift. Michael Cain, 22, alleges that the Australian Red Cross Blood Service discriminated against him when it refused to take his blood because he is gay and is sexually active. Cain argues that the agency should take his blood regardless of his sexual history and then test it for HIV. Three of Australia's major AIDS organizations sided with the Red Cross, taking out an advertisement that notes that those who have male-to-male sex "are the groups most likely to have HIV." The groups also noted, "Donating blood is not a 'right.'"

Utah State faculty to debate health benefits for partners

LOGAN, Utah (AP) - A proposal to offer domestic partners the same health benefits as married employees is back at the Utah State University campus after a nine-month hiatus. A professor there circulated a petition and won the right to raise the issue before the school's faculty. The Faculty Senate will decide Dec. 5 whether to keep the proposal alive. It was dropped in March after Utah State's legal counsel warned that offering D.P. benefits may violate Utah's constitutional amendment banning gay marriage and other legal recognition for gay couples.

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