                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      October 24, 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
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Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Report Says Hemophilia Foundation Knew Early That AIDS Was 
Probably Spread by Blood"
"AIDS Fear Means Gloves for Bus Drivers"
"AIDS Curriculum: Fighting Words"
"Backlog of Cases Drives Up Total of AIDS Victims"
"Court: Disabilities Act Applies to Health Plans"
"Across the USA: Florida"
"AIDS on Rise Among Young African Women"
"Hospital Care Grievances and Psychosocial Needs Expressed by 
PWAs: An Analysis of Qualitative Data"
"Needle-Exchange Programme Against AIDS in Brazil"
"Koop's Grim Diagnosis"
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"Report Says Hemophilia Foundation Knew Early That AIDS Was 
Probably Spread by Blood"
New York Times (10/24/94) P. B9
     The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Sunday that the fact that AIDS
was most likely a blood-borne virus that pharmaceutical companies
could eliminate from blood-clotting medicine commonly given to 
hemophiliacs was known to executives of the National Hemophilia 
Foundation as early as 1982.  More than half of the 20,000 
hemophiliacs in the United States have become HIV-infected from 
tainted clotting factor, and approximately 3,000 of them have 
died.  As evidence, the Inquirer cited sworn testimony and 
documents from a class-action lawsuit filed last year in Federal 
District Court in Chicago by patients and their families against 
the foundation and four drug companies.  The lawsuit claims that 
the defendants continued to sell and promote certain clotting 
products even though they knew that some blood donors were at 
high-risk for HIV-infection.  The drug companies--Rhone-Poulenc 
Rorer and its subsidiary, the Armour Pharmaceutical Company; 
Miles, Inc.; the Baxter Healthcare Corporation; and the Alpha 
Therapeutic Corporation--said they responded to the AIDS crisis 
as soon as possible during a time when very little was known 
about the disease.  Drug companies have won all but one of 14 
jury trials of lawsuits filed by hemophilia patients or their 
survivors--the 14th case is being appealed.  Related Stories: 
Philadelphia Inquirer (10/23) A1; Baltimore Sun (10/24) P. 1A
      
"AIDS Fear Means Gloves for Bus Drivers"
Washington Times (10/24/94) P. A9
     Bus drivers in Broward County, Fla.--who are afraid of catching 
AIDS and other diseases--are being given latex gloves to wear 
when driving.  Some drivers have complained of handling transfers
with blood and saliva on them; others have refused to touch the 
transfers--telling riders to place them in a basket instead.  The
gloves were first made available on Friday, but there is no 
estimate yet on how many drivers used them.  Some AIDS educators 
said there was little or no risk of catching a disease from a 
piece of paper.  The virus that causes AIDS is transmitted 
through sexual contact, tainted needles, or blood transfusions.  
Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (10/24) P. A5
      
"AIDS Curriculum: Fighting Words"
New York Times (10/24/94) P. B1;  Dillon, Sam
     There is great disagreement about what the latest AIDS guide for 
the New York City school system should contain.  Louise Phillips 
and her allies have been fighting to make sure the curriculum 
encourages abstinence.  Erica Zurer and her supporters have been 
fighting to ensure that plenty of information on condoms is 
included in the guide.  One debate over a footnote encouraging 
explicit classroom explanations of sexual intercourse sparked a 
shouting match over where to place the asterisk, though the 
deeper issue was how to teach about the various types of sex.  
Another confrontation focused on a ninth-grade lesson in which 
Mrs. Phillips proposed appending to the statement "Sexual 
intercourse involves the risks of pregnancy and disease" the 
phrase "and death from AIDS."  Mrs. Zurer objected to the 
addition, claiming that the curriculum should not aim to frighten
children.  The Sexuality Information and Education Center in 
Manhattan says that parents in at least 250 other cities and 
towns have engaged in similar battles over to how to balance 
abstinence and condoms in school sex education.  The New York 
City school system's AIDS advisory council--which reviews the 
curriculums before sending them to the board for approval--starts
its review of the high school guide today.  Related Story: New 
York Times (10/22) P. 27
      
"Backlog of Cases Drives Up Total of AIDS Victims"
Washington Times (10/24/94) P. C3
     The number of confirmed AIDS cases in Maryland leaped past 10,000
this month.  As of October, there were 10,140 reported cases of 
AIDS in Maryland--up from 8,976 in June.  The three-month 
increase stems mainly from a backlog that had gone unreported by 
the Baltimore City Health Department in early 1994.  The delay 
was blamed on job vacancies in the city's AIDS surveillance 
division that have since been filled.  The state AIDS 
Administration will evaluate the methods used to process the 
1,164 newly recorded AIDS cases, as well as the entire 
surveillance program for the city.  The evaluation will not be 
completed until November.  According the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, last year Maryland had the 
seventh-highest rate of AIDS per 100,000 population in the 
country.  Federal AIDS funding is partially based on the totals 
for each metropolitan area.
      
"Court: Disabilities Act Applies to Health Plans"
Journal of Commerce (10/24/94) P. 13A
     The U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled that companies 
providing health insurance plans for businesses may not 
discriminate against workers with disabilities--including AIDS.  
The ruling overturned a previous lower court decision that said 
health insurance companies were not subject to the 1990 Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits employers from 
discriminating against employees with disabilities.  Marc 
Elovitz, a staff attorney for the American Civil Liberties 
Union's National AIDS Project--which filed a brief on behalf of 
the plaintiff--said that last week's ruling set an important 
precedent for interpreting the ADA.
      
"Across the USA: Florida"
USA Today (10/24/94) P. 11A
     The 1,187 reported cases of syphilis in Florida in 1993 is the 
lowest level in the state in 30 years.  The decrease is 
attributed to the fear of AIDS.  The syphilis rate in Florida 
peaked at 8,292 cases in 1988.
      
"AIDS on Rise Among Young African Women"
Reuters (10/21/94)
     Dr. Eka Williams, a Nigerian doctor, told a conference on AIDS 
and tuberculosis in Africa hosted by the federal Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention that young women in Africa were 
contracting HIV at an alarming rate.  "I do not know of any 
program that addresses the spread of HIV among adolescents," she 
said.  Dr. Williams cited statistics that point to 11 to 12 women
in Africa becoming HIV-infected for every one African man; she 
also said that Africa is the only continent where more women test
HIV-positive than men.  The problem is increased by polygamy and 
the practice among some men of having sex with many partners.  
Williams has been working since 1988 in a network of Nigerian 
health care professionals trying to do something about the spread
of AIDS.
      
"Hospital Care Grievances and Psychosocial Needs Expressed by 
PWAs: An Analysis of Qualitative Data"
Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care (9/94-10/94) 
Vol. 5, No. 5, P. 21;  Foley, Mary E.;  Fahs, Marianne C.
     A study was conducted to analyze AIDS patients' reactions to 
hospitalization, and their experiences while hospitalized.  Fifty
patients hospitalized for AIDS-related complications were 
interviewed.  The participants' complaints included the lack of 
information concerning treatments and diagnosis, the 
routinization of treatment procedures--some patients were not 
given a choice in the matter, and the lack of availability of 
medical personnel.  These deficits and depersonalizing behavior 
added to the worries of people with AIDS.  The study can be used 
to improve the medical profession-patient relationship, but the 
authors recommend further investigation to improve PWAs' 
hospitalization experiences.
      
"Needle-Exchange Programme Against AIDS in Brazil"
Lancet (10/08/94) Vol. 344, No. 8928, P. 1013;  Csillag, Claudio
     The Brazilian Ministry of Health reports that the number of new 
AIDS cases in Brazil has stabilized.  The increase for 1992-1993 
was 2 percent--there were 11,319 new cases in 1992 and 11,522 in 
1993.  Four years ago, a Brazilian person diagnosed with AIDS 
would live only five to eight months after diagnosis, but current
research in Rio Grande do Sul shows that patients may now live up
to a full year after diagnosis.  Lair Guerra, director of the 
national program against sexually transmitted diseases/AIDS, 
credits therapy improvements and free medicines--such as 
stavudine--for the increased life-expectancy.  Also, a $9.1 
million needle and syringe exchange program will be introduced in
November in five Brazilian cities.  As part of the program, drug 
users will receive medical and psychological care after 
registering at health centers and universities.
      
"Koop's Grim Diagnosis"
Advocate (10/18/94) No. 666, P. 16
     C. Everett Koop, former surgeon general, said during a speech at 
Ohio Wesleyan University that "there will never be a cure [for 
AIDS], and the likelihood of a vaccine is dim."  He also said 
that education is the only way to fight the disease, as science 
will not likely find a cure.  Koop, now a professor at Dartmouth 
University's medical school, tried to focus public attention on 
AIDS during the Reagan administration.
      
