                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      October 17, 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
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Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Reference to Gay Clerk Raises a Furor at Trial"
"AIDS Claims 3rd Hemophiliac Brother"
"Volunteers Pitch In to Help AIDS Patients Keep Their Beloved 
Pets"
"Woman with HIV Is Facing Felony Charges of Sodomy"
"Growth Hormone Helps AIDS Patients Gain Weight--Study"
"WHO Approves Large-Scale AIDS Vaccine Trials"
"National Hospice Organization to Host 16th Annual Symposium and 
Exposition"
"New Recommendations Urge Youths to Get Vaccinated Against 
Hepatitis B"
"Latino Women Encouraged to Question Traditional Roles"
"Around the World"
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"Reference to Gay Clerk Raises a Furor at Trial"
Philadelphia Inquirer (10/15/94) P. A1;  Slobodzian, Joseph A.
     The judge in the AIDS discrimination case of Scott Doe v. Kohn, 
Nast & Graf threatened to punish the defense lawyer when he 
raised the issue of homosexuality on Friday.  The attorney asked 
Doe if he had asked an "openly gay" file clerk for advice when 
Doe's boss told him his contract would not be renewed.  The jury 
was sent from the courtroom and the judge questioned the lawyer 
about his motives for introducing the issue of sexual 
orientation--one that the judge had specifically not permitted 
thus far.  The lawyer claimed that it was a "foolish" error and 
that he had introduced the subject intentionally.
      
"AIDS Claims 3rd Hemophiliac Brother"
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (10/16/94) P. A29;  
Sevareid, Susan
     Les Gimmer, the third of four hemophiliac brothers to be infected
with HIV, died of AIDS on Sept. 23--the eve of his 40th birthday.
The brothers are thought to have become infected with HIV from 
tainted blood products during the early 1980s.  Two of the 
brothers have died since 1990, and the other committed suicide in
1981 because the pain overwhelmed him.  Gimmer was a hospital 
aide who worked with the mentally ill and retarded.
      
"Volunteers Pitch In to Help AIDS Patients Keep Their Beloved 
Pets"
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (10/16/94) P. A19;  Ivey, 
Dave
     Philadelphia Pets Are Wonderful Support Inc. handles all the 
chores involved with pet care for AIDS patients.  Volunteers walk
and groom dogs, change cat litter, and arrange for veterinary 
care.  Their help allows people who are weakened by of the 
disease to keep their pets.  Seventeen major cities have 
organizations similar to PhillyPaws.  "This is something we can 
do in honor of the friends we lost," says Sue Dakin, a co-founder
and client coordinator of PhillyPaws.
      
"Woman with HIV Is Facing Felony Charges of Sodomy"
St. Louis Post-Dispatch (10/14/94) P. 1D;  VandeWater, Judith
     An HIV-infected woman accused of performing oral sex on two 
brothers, ages 11 and 13, will face two felony charges of sodomy.
She also may be charged with violating a law that prohibits 
deliberate attempts to infect someone with HIV.  Hospital records
confirm that the woman was aware that she was infected when she 
made sexual contact with the two boys.  "We're going to have to 
prove she knew she could spread the disease this way," says 
prosecuting attorney G. John Richards.  The results of HIV tests 
on the boys will not affect his decision as to whether the other 
charge will be sought, says Richards.
      
"Growth Hormone Helps AIDS Patients Gain Weight--Study"
Reuters (10/14/94)
     A study conducted by University of California at San Francisco 
researchers has shown that injections of human growth hormone can
help people with AIDS gain weight.  The trial involved 178 
participants who were given daily injections of bio-engineered 
human growth hormone.  The individuals gained an average of 6.6 
pounds of lean body tissue and lost three pounds of fat.  The 
results contrast the effects of other weight gain therapies, such
as appetite stimulants or intravenous feedings, which tend to 
promote fat gain instead of an increase in lean tissue.  The 
sponsor of the study, Serono Laboratories of Massachusetts, 
manufactures mammalian cell-derived human growth hormone.  The 
weight loss characteristic of AIDS wasting syndrome is thought to
make AIDS patients more vulnerable to opportunistic infections.
      
"WHO Approves Large-Scale AIDS Vaccine Trials"
Reuters (10/14/94)
     The World Health Organization announced Friday that it had 
approved the first large-scale trials of possible HIV vaccines.  
The unnamed vaccines will be tested in Brazil, Uganda, and 
Tanzania.  The announcement came after a two-day meeting in 
Geneva, in which experts agreed that some genetically-engineered 
vaccines had proven in preliminary trials to be safe and to help 
create HIV immunity.  Trials had been planned in Rwanda, but were
canceled because of the country's recent ethnic bloodshed.
      
"National Hospice Organization to Host 16th Annual Symposium and 
Exposition"
PR Newswire (10/14/94)
     The National Hospice Organization is holding "The 16th Annual 
Symposium and Exposition Opening Doors: The Next Generation of 
Hospice Caring" in Washington, D.C., from Oct. 18-22.  The 
conference will address such topics as AIDS care, ethical issues,
and health care reform.  Tom Grothe, RN, MFCC, will discuss the 
standard of care most appropriate for an AIDS patient.
      
"New Recommendations Urge Youths to Get Vaccinated Against 
Hepatitis B"
PR Newswire (10/12/94)
     The American School Health Association on Wednesday announced new
recommendations that urge all youths to be vaccinated against 
hepatitis B.  The virus, which is spread through blood and other 
bodily fluids, is 100 times more contagious than HIV.  The 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says that 14 Americans
a day die from hepatitis B-related illnesses, and that 1.25 
million Americans are chronic carriers of the virus.  ASHA also 
recommended that school health professionals initiate hepatitis B
awareness programs for students and parents.  SmithKline Beecham 
gave ASHA an educational grant that will soon educate high school
students and their parents in a nationwide prevention program.
      
"Latino Women Encouraged to Question Traditional Roles"
AIDS Alert (10/94) Vol. 9, No. 10, P. 147
      One in five Latino women in the United States has reported a 
history of sexual abuse or rape.  Researchers at the University 
of California at San Francisco suggest that "sexual silence" and 
sexual coercion may promote the spread of HIV infection in the 
Latino community.  They found that discussion of sex is 
discouraged in the Latino community, and that traditional gender 
roles reinforce the image of submissive women.  Barbara Marin, a 
UCSF psychologist and lead investigator in the study, reported 
that 40 percent of AIDS cases in U.S. Latino women are linked to 
unprotected sexual intercourse with men.  "Risk-reduction 
programs should encourage U.S. Latino women to become more 
comfortable with talking about sex and should challenge 
traditional gender roles," said Marin.
      
"Around the World"
Advocate (10/04/94) No. 665, P. 20
     Three Asian countries are taking or are planning AIDS-related 
measures.  First, in Cambodia, the Cambodian Women's Association 
warned that an ordinance banning prostitution in Phnom Penh could
obstruct the fight against AIDS by driving the prostitutes 
underground.  Next, border guards in Iraq have implemented HIV 
testing for all people entering the country.  Finally, the public
health ministry of Thailand is contemplating closing all brothels
on Buddhist holy days as an AIDS prevention measure.
      
