                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                        July 6, 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
Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information.
Copyright 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Angola Now 'Perfect Petri Dish for HIV'"
"Clinton Assails Helms's AIDS Stance"
"Gingrich Wants Scientists to Set AIDS Funding"
"Cells' 'Suicide' Enzyme Could Cure Key Diseases"
"Merck Drug Shown Effective for Treating Scabies in Humans"
"Chiron Files Eye Treatment Implant with F.D.A."
"Philippines Hunts 33 Bar Girls with AIDS Virus"
"AIDS Deaths Rose in Switzerland in 1994"
"Adolescents' Perceptions of Factors Affecting Their Decisions to
Seek Health Care"
"Streisand Pays Stealth Visit to NIH"
"Notice of Public Meeting"
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"Angola Now 'Perfect Petri Dish for HIV'"
Washington Times (07/06/95) P. A14;  McDougall, Christopher
     While other countries are working to fight the virus that causes 
AIDS, 20 years of relentless fighting has made Angola "a lethally
perfect petri dish for HIV," according to the World Health 
Organization's (WHO's) Dr. Eben Moussi.  The WHO official says 
Angola is not prepared for the disease "psychologically, 
physically, [or] economically."  In addition, thousands of 
international troops and aid workers who will soon be sent across
the southern African country under a United Nations 
reconstruction plan are at risk.  The Center for International 
and Strategic Studies says that soon-to-be-demobilized government
and UNITA rebel troops pose the greatest threat; the infection 
rate is so high among African soldiers that they have a greater 
risk of dying of AIDS than from warfare.  Moussi estimates that 
at least 100,000 Angolan government and rebel troops--half of the
fighting force--are infected with HIV.  The war that erupted on 
the eve of Angola's independence from Portugal in 1975 has 
destroyed hospitals, bankrupted health care funds, and forced 
more than 80 percent of civilians into the government-held 
coastal region.  Related Story: USA Today (07/06) P. 5A; St. 
Louis Post-Dispatch (07/05) P. 5B
      
"Clinton Assails Helms's AIDS Stance"
Washington Post (07/06/95) P. A6;  Devroy, Ann;  Brown, David
     On Wednesday, President Clinton asked Republican congressional 
leaders to ignore the issue of how people become infected with 
HIV, and focus instead on reuthorizing a multimillion-dollar 
federal program that helps treat the disease.  In letters to 
Senate Majority Leader Robert J. Dole (R-Kan.) and House Speaker 
Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.), Clinton urged reapproval of the Ryan White
CARE Act, which was named for a young Indiana hemophiliac who 
died of AIDS.  Helms, a vigorous opponent of gay rights, said in 
comments published in Wednesday's New York Times that AIDS 
funding should be reduced because homosexuals contract the 
disease through their "deliberate, disgusting, revolting 
conduct."  Some Democrats and gay rights advocates responded with
outrage to the comments.  Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), for 
example, blasted Helms as "a bigoted fool" and expressed concern 
that Republican leaders appear to be stalling reauthorization of 
the act, which expires in September.  Clinton described Helms' 
contention that AIDS patients receive more federal funding than 
those with other illnesses as "a false argument."  Total spending
for AIDS research, treatment, and other funding in fiscal 1995 
was nearly $6 billion, while spending for cancer and heart 
disease totaled $17.5 billion and $38 billion, respectively.  
Related Story: Washington Times (07/06) P. A8
      
"Gingrich Wants Scientists to Set AIDS Funding"
USA Today (07/06/95) P. 1A;  Wolf, Richard
     In response to Sen. Jesse Helms's (R-N.C.) controversial comments 
about AIDS funding, House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) said he 
thought the issue should be decided by "the scientists."  
Gingrich recommended the creation of a panel to examine national 
research--one that says, "'Here are the next seven major 
breakthroughs.  If AIDS is one, then it [spending] ought to go to
AIDS," he concluded.  Helms urged reducing government funding of 
AIDS research because "we've got to have common sense about a 
disease transmitted by people engaging in unnatural acts."
      
"Cells' 'Suicide' Enzyme Could Cure Key Diseases"
Washington Times (07/06/95) P. A7
     Researchers have discovered an enzyme that induces a form of 
suicide in human cells, which could help cure such diseases as 
AIDS and Alzheimer's.  In the journal Nature, the scientists 
reported that all cells have a "program" that leads to 
apoptosis--or cell death--either at the end of a period of time 
or after exposure to a hazard, such as radiation.  The study's 
authors found that the enzyme, which they named "apopain," 
triggered elements of apoptosis, including the shrinking of cells
and splitting of genetic material.
      
"Merck Drug Shown Effective for Treating Scabies in Humans"
Wall Street Journal (07/06/95) P. B3
     According to researchers at the University of Miami School of 
Medicine, Merck & Co.'s drug ivermectin successfully treated 
scabies in humans.  Scabies, which affects about 500,000 
Americans each year, is caused by a parasitic mite that burrows 
under the skin and causes extreme itching.  In this week's New 
England Journal of Medicine, the researchers reported that a 
single oral dose of ivermectin cured 11 otherwise healthy people 
of scabies infections.  A single dose also cured eight members of
a group of HIV-infected patients, but two others required a 
second treatment.  Another patient was too severely infected to 
be cured by ivermectin alone.  The researchers concluded that the
drug does not protect against future scabies infections, as five 
patients became re-infected during the months following the drug 
therapy.
      
"Chiron Files Eye Treatment Implant with F.D.A."
New York Times (07/06/95) P. D3;  Fisher, Lawrence M.
     The Chiron Corp. has filed a marketing application with the U.S. 
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for an implant, called 
Vitrasert, that would administer ganciclovir directly to the eye 
of patients with cytomegalovirus (CMV) retinitis.  This condition
is the most frequent infection and the primary cause of blindness
in AIDS patients.  Currently, patients with CMV retinitis receive
daily injections of ganciclovir or foscarnet.  Vitrasert, 
however, would deliver ganciclovir for as long as six months, 
thus reducing the expense while slowing disease progression.  The
implant would be jointly marketed by Chiron's ophthalmic division
Chiron Vision and Hoffman LaRoche Inc., the manufacturer of 
ganciclovir.  Chiron predicts rapid FDA approval of the implant.
      
"Philippines Hunts 33 Bar Girls with AIDS Virus"
Reuters (07/06/95)
     Philippine police are searching for 33 HIV-infected bargirls, who
are believed to be still working at nightspots.  The police are 
looking for the girls--two of whom have developed AIDS--so they 
can be turned over to health authorities for counseling.  
Although national figures show a total of 643 HIV-infected 
people, estimates of the actual number of HIV carriers are as 
high as 50,000.
      
"AIDS Deaths Rose in Switzerland in 1994"
Reuters (07/05/95)
     AIDS is now the leading cause of death for Swiss people aged 25 
to 34, the federal statistics office announced on Wednesday.  
Approximately one in five of the 275 deaths in this age group 
last year were AIDS-related.  Intravenous drug use was one of the
primary reasons for such a high percentage of AIDS-related deaths
within the age group, a statistics office spokesman said.  
Overall, the number of deaths from AIDS in Switzerland increased 
by more than 10 percent in 1994.
      
"Adolescents' Perceptions of Factors Affecting Their Decisions to
Seek Health Care"
Journal of the American Medical Association (06/28/95) Vol. 273, 
No. 24, P. 1913;  Ginsburg, Kenneth R.;  Slap, Gail B.;  Cnaan, 
Avital et al.
     Over a 10-month period in 1993, researchers conducted a study 
among ninth graders in the Philadelphia School District to 
determine which characteristics of health care providers and 
locations affect teenagers' decisions to seek medical care.  The 
study's five stages consisted of small group meetings and surveys
in which the students ranked priorities suggested during the 
meetings.  Among the students' primary concerns were the 
cleanliness of both the provider and the site, the provider's 
knowledge, and the HIV seronegativity of the provider.  When 
asked why four of the top 10 items pertained to cleanliness or 
infection control, seven of the 21 open focus groups said they 
were concerned about HIV and AIDS.  The other 14 groups were 
concerned about "germs" in general, but specifically AIDS, most 
said.  All 21 groups noted the media reports of Kimberly 
Bergalis, who reported HIV transmission through dental care.  
According to the researchers, the results indicate confusion 
among youth about the risk of HIV transmission through routine 
health care visits.  The level of fear, however, may be related 
to the relatively young age of the students.  Alternatively, the 
students may represent a group of youths who were highly 
impressionable at the time when the media focused on the Bergalis
case.  The researchers conclude that the findings indicate a 
critical need for increased public education about the near-zero 
risk of HIV transmission via routine health care.
      
"Streisand Pays Stealth Visit to NIH"
Science (06/23/95) Vol. 268, No. 5218, P. 1687
     On June 12, Barbara Streisand visited the National Institutes of 
Health (NIH) in search of sites for the forthcoming film version 
of the AIDS play, "The Normal Heart."  The play, which was 
written by AIDS activist Larry Kramer, rages at the world for 
ignoring the early signs of the AIDS crisis.  Although an NIH 
spokesperson confirmed Streisand's visit, there was no word on 
whether the actress chose the Bethesda, Md., location for scenes 
that involve AIDS research.
      
"Notice of Public Meeting"
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (07/06/95)
     The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will
host a public meeting to discuss the implementation and
evaluation of U.S. Public Health Service recommendations for
counseling and testing pregnant women.  The purpose of this
meeting is to obtain individual comments on the following: 
strategies to prevent HIV infection among women and children;
strategies to ensure that women and newborns who are infected are
entered into a continuum of services; and the considerations
involved in monitoring the epidemic in women and children in
general.  The meeting will be held at the Westin Peachtree Plaza
Hotel, 210 Peachtree Street, NW, Atlanta Georgia, on July 11 and
12, from 8:30 am - 5:00 pm.  To make hotel reservations, please
contact the Westin Peachtree Plaza at (404) 659-1400.  For
additional information, call Francess Page at (202) 690-6373.  