                    AIDS Daily Summary 
                      July 10, 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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"AIDS Care at 5 HMOs Questioned"
"New Trafficking Routes Boost SE Asian Heroin Threat"
"S. Africa Fighting Uphill AIDS Battle"
"Studds Assails Comments by Helms on AIDS Spending"
"AIDS Groups See Fall in Giving"
"Phila. AIDS Agency Gets Interim Director"
"Ex-Caremark Employee Indicted--U.S. Attorney"
"Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) May Predict AIDS 
Survival"
"Gay Men Have It All Worked Out? Entering the Fray over Safer Sex
Practices"
"Legacy Beyond AIDS"
"Notice of Public Meeting"
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"AIDS Care at 5 HMOs Questioned"
Baltimore Sun (07/10/95) P. 1B;  Sugg, Diana K.
     After learning that five health maintenance organizations (HMOs) 
were making errors that AIDS specialists say could cause 
avoidable deaths, Maryland health officials say they plan to 
review the medical records of the HMOs which are being paid to 
care for Medicaid recipients with AIDS.  Experts claim that AIDS 
patients enrolled in HMOs have needlessly suffered, developed 
avoidable complications and--as a result--ended up in the 
hospital.  Other AIDS patients have been released from the 
hospital without sufficient follow-up because it took so long to 
get an appointment with their HMO doctor.  Lawrence P. Triplett, 
director of Maryland's Medical Care Finance and Compliance 
Administration at the state Department of Health and Mental 
Hygiene noted that tracking individual cases was difficult 
because of the confidentiality issues involved, but added that 
the state wants to determine how the patients are being cared 
for.  HMO officials defend the quality of the care they provide, 
saying they have case managers and other staff to ensure that 
people with AIDS and HIV receive the proper care.
      
"New Trafficking Routes Boost SE Asian Heroin Threat"
Washington Post (07/10/95) P. A13;  Richburg, Keith B.
     U.S. and international drug experts say that heroin production 
and trafficking in Southeast Asia are increasing, following new 
routes that are far more varied and less easily controlled than 
previous ones.  The explosion of the drug trade has for the first
time confronted some Southeast Asian nations with the problem of 
heroin addiction.  The problem has become particularly urgent for
these countries because of the rapid spread of HIV, which can be 
transmitted through needles used by intravenous drug users.  
According to one report, Burma--which apparently had no cases of 
AIDS a few years ago--now documents 200,000 HIV carriers.  With 
an output of 2,500 tons annually, Burma is the largest producer 
of opium--the raw material used to make heroin--in the "Golden 
Triangle" region of Thailand, Burma, and Laos  In addition, 
Riuli--located across Burma's northern border in China's Yunnan 
Province--now has the highest number of AIDS cases in China.  
U.S. officials say there is little they can do about the 
trafficking problem as long as Burma continues to produce such 
large quantities of opium.  Recently, however, they praised what 
they termed "a new beginning" in Thailand's efforts to seriously 
crack down on drug traffickers.
      
"S. Africa Fighting Uphill AIDS Battle"
Chicago Tribune (07/08/95) P. 1-3
     South Africa was a latecomer to the AIDS epidemic, but now 
Africa's most prosperous country has found that the disease has 
taken hold.  Political isolation that limited the number of 
foreign visitors helped slow the arrival of most of the AIDS 
cases until the mid-1990s, researchers say.  In 1990, there were 
5,000 reported cases of HIV infection in South Africa.  Now, 
there are 1.2 million.  The figure is expected to be around 8 
million--or 20 percent of the population--by the year 2000.  In 
response to the explosion of the disease, Health Minister 
Nkosazana Zuma announced in June an emergency quadrupling of 
government funds for AIDS prevention and care to $24 million.  
Zuma said the government obtained 97 million male condoms and 
90,000 female condoms for free distribution.  In a sense, 
however, it is too late.  Activists say that the disease will 
pull down the economy that many had seen as Africa's greatest 
hope.
      
"Studds Assails Comments by Helms on AIDS Spending"
Boston Globe (07/08/95) P. 5
     Rep. Gerry Studds (D-Mass.), an openly gay member of Congress and
an advocate for people with AIDS, criticized Sen. Jesse Helms 
(R-N.C.) for his suggestion that the federal government consider 
reducing funding for a disease brought on by "deliberate, 
disgusting, revolting conduct."  If Helms believes scarce public 
monies should not be spent on people who engage in dangerous or 
unhealthy behavior, "then perhaps we should stop spending 
government funds on people who get sick because they smoke too 
heavily, drive too fast, eat too much or exercise to little," 
Studds said.  Studds, a strong supporter of the Ryan White CARE 
Act, said Helms' comments "tell us more about ignorance and 
narrow-mindedness than about this disease."
      
"AIDS Groups See Fall in Giving"
Boston Globe (07/08/95) P. 5
     Some people blame the falling level of donations to AIDS 
organizations on an increasing number of causes fighting for the 
same funds.  Others blame the trend on "compassion fatigue," as 
people tire of an issue with little positive news.  As Congress 
threatens to cut federal AIDS funding, the prospect of fewer 
private contributions concerns AIDS groups across the nation.  
Although exact figures are not available, tales of difficult 
times are becoming more apparent.  The American Foundation for 
AIDS Research (AmFAR), for example, has reduced its budget from 
$20 million to $16 million.  The Gay Men's Health Crisis, with a 
budget of about $25 million, raised $4.7 million at its annual 
AIDS walk in May, down from $5.1 million the previous year.  
Still, the New York group managed to increase its private funding
by $700,000 this year.
      
"Phila. AIDS Agency Gets Interim Director"
Philadelphia Inquirer (07/08/95) P. B3;  Miles, Katrina
     On Friday, Philadelphia Health Commissioner Estelle Richman 
appointed Jesse Milan Jr. as the interim director of the city's 
AIDS Activities Coordinating Office (AACO).  The position has 
been vacant since last October, when Richard Scott was removed 
following criticism from the AIDS community.  Richman, who has 
been running the agency herself for the last eight months, said 
that locating a permanent director has been difficult because no 
one wanted "to move into such an unstable environment."  AACO 
manages federal, state, and local funding for AIDS services and 
public education programs but, because of internal problems, has 
not functioned effectively, Richman said.  Milan, who will be 
AACO's sixth director in seven years, said he will try to 
establish a new relationship with Philadelphia's AIDS groups, and
make sure that funds are distributed fairly.  "I hope to develop 
a new sense of cooperation among the AIDS service providers in 
Philadelphia," he said.
      
"Ex-Caremark Employee Indicted--U.S. Attorney"
Reuters (07/07/95)
     As part of an ongoing probe into alleged health care fraud, a 
former employee of Caremark Inc. was indicted on Friday for 
conspiracy to solicit and accept kickbacks, the U.S. Attorney 
said.  The indictment adds Jon Mickle--a former manager and 
director of Caremark's HIV program--to an earlier conspiracy 
charge against an Ohio physician, U.S. Attorney Edmund Sargus 
said.  Last month, Caremark agreed to plead guilty to mail fraud 
and pay $161 million in fines and damages related to Medicaid 
kickbacks and overbilling.
      
"Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) May Predict AIDS 
Survival"
AIDS Treatment News (06/16/95) No. 225, P. 3;  James, John S.
     A recent study of 75 patients found that an inexpensive, 
non-invasive electrical measurement, known as bioelectrical 
impedance, predicted three-year survival better than CD4 levels 
or several other measurements tested.  Measurements of 
bioelectrical impedance consist of two numbers--electrical 
resistance and capacitative resistance, both of which can be 
measured using a simple machine in a doctor's office.  Using the 
two numbers, it is then possible to calculate the phase angle, 
which the current study identified as the single best predictor 
of who would survive for three years.  Factors that were 
predictive to a lesser degree were serum cholesterol, CD4 cell 
count, body cell mass, and serum albumin.  Viral load was not 
measured in this study, so it could not be compared as a measure 
of survival.  Statistical analysis indicated that the volunteers 
with a median phase angle had a somewhat higher than 50 percent 
survival during the 1,000 days of follow-up.  The authors 
concluded that the phase angle may be a measurement of the 
electrical integrity of cell membranes.
      
"Gay Men Have It All Worked Out? Entering the Fray over Safer Sex
Practices"
Gay Community News (Spring 1995) Vol. 20, No. 5, P. 10;  
Finkelstein, Ruth
     Recent studies of safer sex practices among gay men show an 
increase in unsafe sexual practices.  They also reveal that the 
rate of HIV seroconversion is increasing.  Faced with this 
knowledge, it is difficult to know what activists and educators 
should do, writes health policy advocate and activist Ruth 
Finkelstein in Gay Community News.  Finkelstein notes that, for a
long time, there has been clear epidemiological evidence that gay
men were continuing to seroconvert--except they were always the 
"other" men--youths, hustlers, and gay men of color.  Yet middle 
class, gay white men in the epicenters who know all about HIV and
AIDS are also seroconverting.  The solution, Finkelstein 
proposes, is to allow people to talk at the level of the 
individual because it is at that level that sexual meanings, 
practices, and desire happen.  These discussions would allow gay 
men to confront the sexual/relational issues that have emerged as
a result of the AIDS crisis, she concludes.
      
"Legacy Beyond AIDS"
Crain's New York Business (06/26/95) Vol. 11, No. 26, P. 3;  
Furman, Phyllis
     When Terry Wilke died of AIDS in February 1992 at age 36, he left
behind a young menswear company that had just begun to gather 
momentum.  Though faced with almost certain extinction, quite the
opposite happened.  This year, Wilke-Rodriguez will sell $45 
million worth of corporate casual-style mens' clothing.  And with
the support of a strong Asian partner, the company is about to 
sign lucrative licensing agreements, while expanding abroad.  
Eddie Rodriguez, the co-founder of the company, succeeded by 
following his late partner's philosophy of making well-designed 
clothes that are not too expensive.  Wilke-Rodriguez, one of the 
fastest-growing minority-owned companies in New York, was 
recently ranked No. 17 in a recent Crain's New York Business 
survey.
      
"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. 
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