                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                     September 2, 1994

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
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Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

"$25 Million Committed by U.S. for Alternatives to AIDS Drug Therapy"
Washington Post (09/02/94) P. A19
     The federal government has promised $25 million for the 
investigation of alternatives to drug therapy for the treatment 
of AIDS, to be split among the New England Medical Center, the 
University of Pennsylvania, the University of Michigan, the Fred 
Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Stanford 
University, and the University of California at San Diego.  
National Institutes of Health officials said on Friday that more 
money is expected to be approved for the studies next year.  
Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious 
Diseases, Anthony S. Fauci, said, "This effort is crucial because
currently available anti-HIV drugs only partially and temporarily
suppress replication of the virus, and their use is hampered by 
toxicity and drug resistance."
      
"AIDS Vaccine Doubted"
Washington Post (09/02/94) P. A10
     A study conducted by Sally M. Blower and Angela R. McLean of 
Oxford University and published in Friday's Science magazine 
showed it to be nearly impossible for a vaccine alone to conquer 
AIDS.  Using the gay community in San Francisco as a model, 
Blower and McLean found that the number of HIV cases in that 
community could double every two to seven years.  They further 
concluded that a vaccine might even contribute to the disease by 
creating a false sense of security and preventing changes in 
dangerous behavior.  Several HIV vaccines are currently in 
development but none have been approved for widespread testing in
the United States.  Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (09/02) 
P. A17
      
"Female Condom to Get Disease Trials in City"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/02/94) P. A1;  Belluck, Pam;  Collins, 
Huntly
     On Tuesday a health department committee approved two tests on 
the female condom, to start in the fall, involving patients at 
the department's sexually transmitted disease clinic.  The first 
study, funded by the condom's manufacturer, Female Health Co., 
would attempt to ascertain whether the female condom would 
protect women from sexually transmitted diseases.  The second 
study, funded by the federal Centers for Disease Control and 
Protection, would try to determine what sort of contraceptive 
women will use if given a choice.  The female condom gained FDA 
approval as a contraceptive last year and clinical trials have 
found it to be as effective in preventing pregnancy as the 
diaphragm, the sponge, and the cervical cap.
      
"CDC Says AIDS Case Remains Unsolved"
United Press International (09/01/94)
     Dr. Harold Jaffe, director of the U.S. Center for Disease Control
and Prevention's division on HIV/AIDS, says the agency has no 
direct evidence of criminal intent concerning the dental practice
of Florida Dr. David Acer.  Officials linked six cases of HIV 
infection to Acer in 1990.  According to investigators, 
transmission of the virus could have occurred in one of three 
ways.  Dr. Acer could have accidentally cut himself and exposed 
patients to his blood, he could have used unsterilized equipment 
and unsterile procedures, or he could have intentionally 
transmitted the virus.  A behavioral scientist has stated that 
results of a three-year study into the case show the late 
dentist's personality matches the profiles of 36 serial killers 
studied by the FBI.
      
"Sites Awarded, Renewed for Community-Based AIDS Trials"
PR Newswire (09/01/94)
     The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
has awarded funding to four new sites and 12 incumbent sites to 
study promising HIV therapies as part of the community-based 
clinical trials network.  The first-year funding for the 16 
five-year awards is approximately $12 million.  Anthony S. Fauci,
M.D., director of NIAID, says the awards "strengthen our 
capability and commitment to offer HIV-infected patients clinical
trials of HIV therapies in community settings such as private 
practices and clinics as well as in health centers."  The awards 
stem from the recompetition of NIAID's Terry Beim Community 
Programs for Clinical Research on AIDS.
      
"Gladstone Institute Researchers Create Multi-Purpose Vaccine Capable of Generating Immune Response to HIV"
Business Wire (09/01/94)
     Researchers from UC San Francisco have inserted two HIV genes 
into the poliovirus vaccine to create a new vaccine capable of 
generating in an immune response in animals to HIV.  The 
decades-old Sabin polio vaccine was used as a vehicle to deliver 
key proteins to specific targets in the body, where they could 
generate an immune response to guard against infection.  The 
proteins packed into the poliovirus included two important HIV 
proteins, Nef and Gag, a protein from influenza type A virus, and
the highly toxic cholera toxin.
      
"Turks Say AIDS Not For Them, Doctors See Problem"
Reuters (09/01/94);  Marcus, Aliza
     Although many Turks believe conservative values protect them from
AIDS, doctors say tourism, prostitution, and a changing world 
distort that view.  But doctors say the only conservative aspect 
about Turkey is its unwillingness to candidly discuss the 
disease.  Studies over the past two years show that Turks are 
uninformed about AIDS and how it's acquired.  The relatively low 
number of Turks with AIDS is currently under 400, which is often 
cited as proof that the disease is not spreading in Turkey.   Dr.
Enver Tali Cetin, head of the private AIDS Prevention 
Association, believes that the number of Turks infected with AIDS
is "closer to 15,000 or 20,000."  Doctors say there are 
indications the virus is spreading, such as an increase in other 
sexually transmitted diseases--a sign that people are not using 
condoms.  AIDS workers say that Turkey has the ability to stop 
the spread of AIDS.  Ilkay Demir of the AIDS Prevention Society 
says when workers go out and talk to people, "they react 
positively, even those from the religious community, but the 
problem is that we don't have the means to reach everyone."
      
"Iraq Testing All Travelers for AIDS at Jordan Border"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/01/94) P. A9
     In an effort to prevent AIDS from reaching Iraq, the Iraqi 
Embassy in Amman, Jordan, reports that Iraq officials have 
started testing travelers for the AIDS virus at its border 
crossing with Jordan.  United Nations officials say the number of
AIDS cases among Iraq's 18 million people is small, but 
increasing.
      
"Study Adds to Fears of Blood Recipients"
Toronto Globe and Mail (08/31/94) P. A3;  Picard, Andre
     The Laboratory Centre for Disease Control in Canada estimates 
that 940 to 1,440 people may have been infected with HIV through 
transfusions between 1978 to 1985--two to three times the number 
of people originally thought to be infected.  In addition, as 
many as 245 people may still be "unaware of their HIV-positive 
status."  Although public officials in almost every province have
urged transfusion recipients to be tested for the virus, 
hospitals have resisted demands that they locate each person who 
received blood because of the cost of such research and the poor 
condition of records.  Scientists say that the risk of being 
infected by bad blood was nearly 25 times higher in 1985 than in 
1978.  They also estimate that the risk of HIV to surgery 
patients receiving between 30 and 50 units of blood had risen to 
9.4 out of every 1,000 by the time mandatory blood screening for 
the virus was started in 1985.  Public officials are concerned 
that those who didn't realize they were affected could have 
spread the disease through sexual encounters.  The Canadian Red 
Cross Society reports that the risk of receiving contaminated 
blood during surgery in Canada today is estimated at one in 
250,000.
      
