                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                       June 15, 1995

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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Guards Don Gloves as Gay Officials Visit White House"
"Goal of Gay March Is Freedom Plaza"
"Critics Maintain Budget's One-Time Savings Could Bring More Pain
Later"
"Across the USA: Nevada"
"India Said to Sit on a Tuberculosis Time Bomb"
"U.N. Warns of AIDS-Orphan Explosion in Cambodia"
"Update: Trends in AIDS Among Men Who Have Sex with Men--United 
States, 1989-1994"
"Diarrhea, and the Experimental Treatment Saccharomyces 
boulardii"
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"Guards Don Gloves as Gay Officials Visit White House"
Washington Post (06/15/95) P. A1;  Kamen, Al
     Elijay B. Bowron, director of the Secret Service, said on 
Wednesday that he regretted that White House guards wore rubber 
gloves when admitting a group of homosexual elected officials to 
a Tuesday meeting with senior administration officials.  While 
"it is not the policy of the Secret Service to wear gloves merely
based on known sexual preference," the officers "have discretion 
to wear protective gloves in the performance of their duties," he
explained.  The incident outraged gay officials, who called it a 
bitter reminder of the need for more AIDS education.  A White 
House spokesman said, "It's safe to say that the chief of staff 
and others were distressed by that and believe it to be an error 
of judgment."  White House Chief of Staff Leon E. Panetta has 
asked the Treasury Department, which oversees the Secret Service 
uniformed officers, to investigate the incident.  Related 
Stories: Wall Street Journal (06/15) P. A1; New York Times 
(06/15) P. B10
      
"Goal of Gay March Is Freedom Plaza"
Washington Post (06/15/95) P. D5;  Loose, Cindy
     In its 20th year, the Freedom Festival--a celebration of gay 
pride for gay men and lesbians in the Washington, D.C., area--has
developed from a one-afternoon block party to a week-long series 
of political, social, and cultural events.  Some of the various 
events are a forum for deaf gay people, drag softball, and a 
dance for HIV-infected people and their families.  "Because the 
community is very diverse, we wanted to offer things that reflect
all those interests, so everyone could participate," said 
festival co-chairwoman Lois Wesly.  At the festival's opening 
last Sunday, there was a silent march to lay roses at the Dupont 
Circle Fountain as a tribute to friends and family members who 
have died of AIDS.  This Sunday's march past the White House to 
Freedom Plaza, where a giant party will be held, is expected to 
attract a crowd of at least 25,000.  The featured entertainers 
include singer Martha Wash, the Village People, and the Gay Men's
Chorus of Washington.
      
"Critics Maintain Budget's One-Time Savings Could Bring More Pain
Later"
New York Times (06/15/95) P. B8;  Myers, Steven Lee;  Fein, 
Esther B.
     On Wednesday, elected officials and advocates criticized New York
City's budget agreement as painful for New Yorkers, while fiscal 
monitors cautioned that the deal could come undone and force 
additional budget cuts in the future.  The city Health Department
will lose more than $3 million.  As a result, it will have to cut
back on some medical supplies and provide less clinic care and 
fewer services to people with AIDS, explained agency spokesman 
Sam Friedman.
      
"Across the USA: Nevada"
USA Today (06/15/95) P. 7A
     The Washoe (Nev.) County School Board rejected a proposal to 
allow people with AIDS to speak with sixth-grade students.  It 
also decided not to include a gay youth hot line phone number on 
cards given to high school students.
      
"India Said to Sit on a Tuberculosis Time Bomb"
Reuters (06/14/95);  Ramachandran, Hari
     A World Health Organization (WHO) expert said on Wednesday that 
although India--with more than half its adult population infected
with the tuberculosis (TB) germ--is sitting on a time bomb, the 
disease can be contained.  "The situation is getting critical 
because of multi-drug resistant strains of TB" that have occurred
in New Dehli, Bangalore, and other parts of the country, said 
Kraig Klaudt, a senior official in WHO's Global Tuberculosis 
Program.  Normally, only 5 to 10 percent of those infected with 
the TB bacillus become ill, said Klaudt.  However, a person 
co-infected with TB and HIV is 30 times more likely to become ill
with TB than a person only infected with the TB bacillus.  "The 
dual TB/HIV epidemic is on a deadly collision course in India," 
he noted.  Klaudt said that the spread of TB could be stopped by 
using directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS), in which 
health workers watch the patient take the medicine for the entire
chemotherapy period.  DOTS has nearly doubled the cure rates in 
India's three pilot programs, he said.
      
"U.N. Warns of AIDS-Orphan Explosion in Cambodia"
Reuters (06/14/95)
     Cambodia may face a significant increase in the number of 
children orphaned by AIDS-associated deaths, said Margaret De 
Monchy, a senior United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) 
official, on Wednesday.  The UN is worried about a possible 
explosion of AIDS cases because of the country's large sex 
industry.  De Monchy said that the number of children left 
parentless by the disease could be similar to some African 
countries--such as Uganda, where there are currently 300,000 
orphans.  The World Health Organization estimates that at least 
6,000 Cambodians are infected with the virus that causes AIDS.
      
"Update: Trends in AIDS Among Men Who Have Sex with Men--United 
States, 1989-1994"
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (06/02/95) Vol. 44, No. 21,
P. 401
     Almost 35,000 cases of AIDS among men whose only reported 
exposure to HIV was sexual contact with other men were reported 
to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 1994.  
Between 1989 and 1994, rates of AIDS-defining opportunistic 
infections (AIDS-OIs) for men who have sex with men (MSM) rose 
more than 30 percent from 12.1 to 15.9 cases per 100,000 males 
over the age of 13.  Geographically, there were significant 
increases in the Midwest and South, while smaller increases were 
seen in the West and the Northeast during that five year period. 
There were also varying increases by race and ethnicity.  
Proportionately, the greatest leaps were seen among black, 
Hispanic, American Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian/Pacific 
Islander males with 79 percent, 61 percent, 77 percent, and 55 
percent increase, respectively.  Finally, there were substantial 
differences in rates according to the size of the metropolitan 
statistical area (MSA).  During 1989, for example, the rates were
lowest in rural areas.  These areas, as well as MSAs with 
populations between 50,000 and 1 million, had the highest 
percentage increase.
      
"Diarrhea, and the Experimental Treatment Saccharomyces 
boulardii"
AIDS Treatment News (06/02/95) No. 224, P. 1;  James, John S.
     Recent interest in Saccharomyces boulardii for the treatment of 
HIV-related diarrhea has made it one of the leading sellers at 
some AIDS buyers' clubs.  Although several published clinical 
trials have reported this live yeast's apparent usefulness in 
preventing or treating diarrhea resulting from other causes, 
little research has been done with S. boulardii in HIV-infected 
persons.  Overall, it seems to be safe and effective, with no 
serious side effects.  One theoretical risk is that the yeast 
could take advantage of an immune deficiency and cause a systemic
infection.  Currently, at least two different S. boulardii 
products are available in AIDS buyers' clubs.  Laboratoires 
Biocodex markets a freeze-dried form of the yeast in Europe, 
South America, and Africa under a variety of brand names for 
about $36 for a four-day supply.  Jarrow Formulas sells a 
similar, but less expensive, product.  Whether the two products 
are equivalent is controversial--the PWA Health Group in New York
only sells the Biocodex version, while San Francisco's Healing 
Alternatives carries only the Jarrow brand.
      
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