                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      December 12, 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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"Clinton Fires Surgeon General Elders, Citing Differences in 
Opinions, Policy"
"Fanfare: Soccer"
"The Lingering Pain of False HIV Diagnosis"
"Across the USA: Florida"
"AIDS to Kill 10,000 Indians a Day by 2000--Expert"
"French Deputies Reject Compulsory AIDS Testing"
"Gays Say Firing of Elders Is "Chilling""
"Jonathan Demme, Academy Award Winning Motion Picture 
Producer/Director, to Be Recognized by Greater Philadelphia Hotel
Association"
"Association Between Hepatitis E Virus and HIV Infection in 
omosexual Men"
"HIV Notification Act Stalls in House Subcommittee"
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"Clinton Fires Surgeon General Elders, Citing Differences in 
Opinions, Policy"
Wall Street Journal (12/12/94) P. A16;  Frisby, Michael K.
     Citing her for statements that differ from his own beliefs, 
President Clinton on Friday fired Surgeon General Joycelyn 
Elders.  The president requested her resignation after learning 
that at the Dec. 1 AIDS Conference, Elders had suggested that 
students should be taught about masturbation.  Elders has a 
history of controversial comments that include suggesting that 
certain drug use should be legalized, endorsing adoptions for 
homosexuals, and saying that the Medicaid system "had to be 
developed by a white male slave owner" because it supports 
"healthy uneducated people which can only be slaves."  Related 
Stories: Washington Post (12/12) P. A20; New York Times (12/12) 
P. A16
      
"Fanfare: Soccer"
Washington Post (12/12/94) P. C2
     Youssef Omar, a Nigerian soccer player on contract to a 
professional team in Egypt, was deported after blood tests 
revealed he is HIV-positive.  Omar expressed shock at the test 
result, and speculated, "Maybe it was when I was in Nigeria where
I sometimes took injections for injuries I got when I was 
playing.  Maybe the injections were infected since the same 
syringe is used several times."
      
"The Lingering Pain of False HIV Diagnosis"
USA Today (12/12/94) P. 1D;  Levy, Doug
     Although HIV detection procedures are almost 100 percent 
accurate, human errors can occur.  The Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention (CDC) says that in "ideal" testing 
circumstances, the odds of a false positive HIV antibody test are
less than five in 100,000.  Charles Shires may be one of those 
five.  Last November, Shires--who has not engaged in risky sex or
drug abuse--was told he was infected with HIV.  He discovered the
test result was wrong almost one year later--after his friends 
had abandoned him and he had considered suicide.  Shires' 
attorney said he hopes that lawsuits will spur clinics, labs, and
health workers to be more careful and alert the public that 
medical tests are not perfect.  CDC AIDS-test chief Charles 
Schable says the best protection against human error is common 
sense.  He recommends that "if you are a person who isn't 
engaging in high risk behavior and (get) a positive result, 
demand that a new specimen be collected and retested."
      
"Across the USA: Florida"
USA Today (12/12/94) P. 7A
     A 45-year-old male nurse in Florida, who is charged with raping 
five anesthetized female patients in a hospital recovery room, 
has tested negative for HIV.  Almost 70 former patients--who fear
they may have been abused--have been tested for HIV.
      
"AIDS to Kill 10,000 Indians a Day by 2000--Expert"
Reuters (12/11/94)
     I.S. Gilada, secretary general of the Bombay-based private Indian
Health Association, said on Sunday that some 10,000 Indians will 
die each day from AIDS by the year 2000.  The rate of HIV 
infection among Bombay housewives is the same as it was among the
city's prostitutes eight years ago, said Gilada.  One in 100 
pregnant women attending pre-natal clinics in Bombay tests 
HIV-positive--the same rate of infection that existed among 
prostitutes in Bombay's red light district in 1986.  "India will 
need six times as many hospital beds as it has today to manage 
just the AIDS cases," Gilada added.  While the World Health 
Organization has said that only 728 cases of AIDS had been 
officially reported in India by last August, approximately 1.5 
million of 900 million Indians are believed to be HIV-infected.
      
"French Deputies Reject Compulsory AIDS Testing"
Reuters (12/11/94)
     The French National Assembly on Sunday rejected a proposal to 
conduct systematic AIDS testing of the French population.  The 
plan was dismissed after Health Minister Simone Veil informed 
deputies that AIDS testing was already required of anyone who 
wished to donate blood, sperm, mother's milk, or organs.  There 
is debate over whether the benefits of compulsory testing 
outweigh its drawbacks.  While public health officials insist 
that requiring widespread testing would help track and control 
the spread of HIV, civil libertarians argue that it would violate
privacy rights and expose those found to be infected to 
discrimination.  In France, more than 18,000 people have died 
from AIDS--more than in any other European country.
      
"Gays Say Firing of Elders Is "Chilling""
Reuters (12/10/94)
     Gay activists defended Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders, who was 
fired by President Clinton on Friday, and said the issue could 
cost the president votes in the 1996 election.  "This is war.  
Elders was a hero in the war on AIDS and Bill Clinton is a 
traitor," said Steve Michael, chairman of the Washington, D.C., 
chapter of ACT-UP.  Michael called the president's record on 
fighting AIDS "abysmal."  Noting that 3 percent of gay men become
infected with HIV each year, Michael added that increased 
education on masturbation--the endorsement of which ultimately 
cost Elders her job--could help prevent additional cases of AIDS.
Daniel Wolfe of the Gay Men's Health Crisis, the largest AIDS 
service in the United States, said that, "Our fear about all of 
this is that it will make all other government leaders less 
likely to speak out frankly about the difficult truth of AIDS.  
The fact is that masturbation is an activity that does not put 
you at risk for HIV."
      
"Jonathan Demme, Academy Award Winning Motion Picture 
Producer/Director, to Be Recognized by Greater Philadelphia Hotel
Association"
PR Newswire (12/09/94)
     In acknowledgment of the national and international recognition 
the film "Philadelphia" has brought to the city, Academy Award 
winning producer/director Jonathan Demme will be awarded the 
Greater Philadelphia Hotel Association's (GPHA) Grand Award on 
Dec. 19.  Mayor Edward G. Rendell will present Demme with the 
award at the 1994 "Hospitality City, USA" Awards Luncheon.  Each 
year, GPHA recognizes individuals who have made significant 
contributions to the promotion of the City of Philadelphia.  GPHA
will also donate a portion of the luncheon's proceeds to the 
Jonathan Demme Fund at ActionAIDS in Philadelphia.  "Following 
the release of the film, 'Philadelphia,' more travelers have 
chosen our City as a prime destination point," commented Mayor 
Rendell.  Demme--whose achievements include films such as 
"Swimming to Cambodia" and "The Silence of the Lambs"--has worked
with many film industry leaders to bring AIDS and other issues to
the global forefront.
      
"Association Between Hepatitis E Virus and HIV Infection in 
Homosexual Men"
Lancet (11/19/94) Vol. 344, No. 8934, P. 1433;  Montella, F.;  
Rezza, G.;  Di Sora, F. et al
     Although little is known about the risk factors for hepatitis E 
(HEV), in industrialized countries, higher prevalence rates have 
been found in injection drug users (IDUs) and in travelers to 
endemic areas, write Montella et al in a letter to the editor 
appearing in the Lancet.  A total of 162 homosexual men and 66 
IDUs attending an outpatient facility in Rome whose sera had been
collected for HIV serology were tested for HEV antibodies.  The 
researchers found a higher prevalence of HEV among homosexual 
men, which indirectly confirms the role of transmission through 
fecal-oral activity facilitated by sexual practices.  
Thirty-seven percent of the HEV-positive homosexual men were also
HIV-positive, while none of the HEV-positive IDUs were 
HIV-positive.  The reasons for the relationship between HIV and 
HEV are not clear, but Montella et al suggest that HIV-induced 
immunosuppression could facilitate HEV transmission.  The 
findings may be explained by the high frequency of sexual 
practices at risk for HEV infection in people with HIV risk 
behavior.
      
"HIV Notification Act Stalls in House Subcommittee"
AIDS Alert (11/94) Vol. 9, No. 11, P. 155
     The Newborn Infant HIV Notification Act has stalled in a House 
subcommittee, but will be reconsidered next year.  The disclosure
act--sponsored by a coalition of both Democratic and Republican 
representatives--is intended to reverse the practice of blind HIV
testing.  In 45 states, all infants are tested for HIV, but the 
results are only used for statistical purposes.  Neither the 
mother nor the physician is informed of positive results.  "By 
allowing mothers to leave the hospital uninformed that their baby
is HIV-positive, we are condemning thousands of helpless newborn 
babies to an early, harsh death," said Rep. Gary L. Ackerman 
(D-N.Y.), who introduced the bill.  Similar disclosure bills have
been debated in New York state, but a compromise bill that would 
have required the counseling of pregnant women failed before the 
Legislature recessed in July.  Dr. Alan Fleischman, senior 
vice-president of the New York Academy of Medicine in New York 
City and a member of the New York State Task Force on AIDS, said,
"The argument between privacy rights and providing proven 
treatment to stop the spread of the AIDS virus must be resolved."
      
