                     AIDS Daily Summary
                     September 23, 1994

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement
by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction
of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

"Man With AIDS Settles With Texas Dentist"
Baltimore Sun (09/23/94) P. 15A
     A Texas man who tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS 
will receive $100,000 in damages and penalties from a dentist who
refused to continue to treat him.  The Castle Dental Center was 
sued by the Department of Justice for alleged violation of the 
Americans with Disabilities Act.  Federal law prohibits 
discrimination against people with disabilities in places that 
serve the public; testing positive for HIV and having AIDS are 
considered disabilities.  Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer 
(9/23) P. B11
      
"Woman, Wrongly Told She Had AIDS Virus, Wins Big Jury Award"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/23/94) P. C9;  Testa, Karen
     A woman who gave up her children and planned to commit suicide 
has been awarded $600,000 for her pain and suffering when she was
misdiagnosed as being HIV-positive.  The woman gave legal custody
of her children to her mother and would not let them hug her 
because, for two years, she thought she was infected.  She sued 
the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, the
Family Health Center,  and her doctor because she said that they 
should have known that she was not HIV-positive and should have 
ordered a retest.  The Department of Health and Rehabilitative 
Services and her doctor were both found responsible for the 
misdiagnosis.  Related Story: Baltimore Sun (9/23) P. 15A
      
"Hill to Bar Funds for Programs Promoting Sex"
Washington Post (09/23/94) P. A20
     Congressional negotiators agreed Thursday to prohibit the use of 
federal education money for programs that directly promote sexual
activity or for the distribution of condoms in the nation's 
schools.  They did eliminate the anti-gay provisions that Senator
Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) had pushed.  The agreement also states that 
sex education and AIDS prevention programs must include 
information on the health benefits of abstinence.  The decision 
came as the Senate and House attempted to resolve problems on the
reauthorization of the almost $13 billion Elementary and 
Secondary Education Act.  Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer 
(9/23) P. A2
      
"Washington Wire: AIDS Risks Are Among Health Worries for U.S. Troops in Haiti"
Wall Street Journal (09/23/94) P. A1;  Shafer, Ronald G.
     In Haiti, approximately 70 percent of the prostitutes are 
believed to be infected with HIV, as well as 6 to 8 percent of 
healthy-looking young adults.  American troops have been issued a
15-page manual that includes a drawing of "the healthy U.S. 
soldier" who "says no to sex."  The Pentagon has cautioned 
soldiers "not to come into contact with blood or other body 
fluids without protection."
      
"China Fears Quiet Spread of AIDS"
Philadelphia Inquirer (09/23/94) P. A2;  Tofani, Loretta
     Experts in China fear that AIDS is slowly spreading, largely 
undetected, among both homosexuals and heterosexuals.  They are 
worried that the spread could cause an epidemic that would affect
huge numbers of people.  A total of 1,535 people in China have 
tested HIV-positive, but Qi Xiaoqiu, deputy director of the 
Department of Epidemic Prevention, and Zheng Xiwen, director of 
China's AIDS Monitoring Center, estimate that the actual number 
of those infected is closer to 5,000 to 10,000 people.  When 
China moved to a free-enterprise economy, prostitution, drug use,
and gonorrhea became much more common, as did AIDS.  Homosexuals 
are at great risk in China because 85 percent of them do not use 
condoms and a majority are promiscuous, according to a recent 
survey by the Shanghai Sex Sociology Research Center.  Zheng has 
been trying to increase AIDS education, but is hampered because, 
while students receive prevention information in school, it is 
rare that the information is ever delivered in the Chinese Press 
or on television.
      
"Red Cross Bypasses U.S. Ban on Import of Certain Plasma"
Toronto Globe and Mail (09/22/94) P. A10;  Coutts, Jane
     The Canadian Red Cross, in an attempt to circumvent the U.S. ban 
on the import of blood plasma, has changed procedures in blood 
centers across Canada to free up more plasma, which is separated 
from whole blood after it is donated for shipment to the United 
States.  In doing this, the CRC ensures a steady supply of blood 
products while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decides 
whether to issue Canada a license to allow source plasma, which 
is taken without removing whole blood from the donor, into the 
United States for processing.  An FDA spokesman said that the 
Canadian "short-supply" arrangement should stay in effect until 
after a license is issued.
      
"India Says No to Sex Ed in Schools"
United Press International (09/22/94);  Jain, Neelam
     The Human Resource Ministry in India has vetoed plans to 
introduce sex education in India's schools.  The ministry said 
that a classroom was not the right place to explain human 
sexuality.  Social and cultural taboos in India create a 
restrictive environment for open sex education.  AIDS prevention 
programs have not had much success in India, and more than one 
million people have tested HIV-positive there.  HIV-infection is 
up 60 percent in India since 1993.
      
"AIDS: Still the Issue"
Advocate (09/06/94) No. 663, P. 80;  Osborn, Torie
     Advocate columnist Torie Osborn writes that the homophobic 
"degaying" of AIDS, which has begun to prevail in the allocation 
of prevention funds, must be reversed.  Although gay men 
represent 80 percent of the infected population, only 8 percent 
of all prevention dollars are currently being allocated to them. 
Another trend that must be stopped, Osborn warns, is the desire 
to separate AIDS from the national agenda of gay and lesbian 
politics.  Although AIDS is not exclusive to homosexuals, the 
fact remains that a second wave of HIV infection is taking place 
among young gay and bisexual men, people of color, older gay men,
and lesbians.  According to statistics, nearly one-third of all 
gay and bisexual men in America who are 20 years old today will 
either be dead or HIV-positive in 10 years.  Although notable 
gains have been made in society's acceptance of those who are 
HIV-positive, Osborn notes that homosexuality remains a divided 
issue.  "In horrible irony it has almost become more acceptable 
in this sick, homophobic society to have AIDS than to be gay," 
she writes.
      
"Reduced Rate of Disease Development After HIV-2 Infection as Compared to HIV-1"
Science (09/09/94) Vol. 265. No. 5178, P. 1587;  Marlink, 
Richard;  Kanki, Phyllis;  Thior, Ibou, et al.
     A study was conducted of infected female sex workers in Senegal 
from 1985 to 1993 to determine the differences of infection and 
disease between HIV-1 and HIV-2.  Although HIV-1 is more 
prevalent worldwide, HIV-2 is dominant in many countries in West 
Africa and has been present in some of these populations since 
the 1960s.  HIV-2 was determined less virulent because five years
after seroconversion, one-third of the women who had HIV-1 had 
developed symptoms of AIDS, while none of the HIV-2 infected 
women were symptomatic.  Those infected with HIV-2 also had lower
rates of developing abnormal CD4 cell counts.
      
"Paris Global Summit on AIDS, December 1--Action Alert, More U.S. Effort Needed"
AIDS Treatment News (09/02/94) No. 206, P. 6
     Heads of state from 42 countries have been invited to a Global 
Summit on AIDS in Paris on Dec. 1.  Preliminary meetings on 
topics including vaccine and treatment research and prevention of
transmission will be held in September and October.  Health and 
Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will attend the summit, 
although other U.S. officials have demonstrated little interest 
in the early meetings.  AIDS Treatment News urges that citizens 
tell President Clinton and other officials that the Summit 
requires their attention.
      
