| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-04, 2:18 am |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Thursday, September 30, 2004
The CDC National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention provides the follo=
wing information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scie=
ntific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmi=
tted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. The f=
ollowing summaries were prepared without conducting any additional resear=
ch or investigation into the facts and statements made in the articles be=
ing summarized, and therefore readers are expressly cautioned against rel=
ying on the validity or invalidity of any statements made in these summar=
ies. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other gover=
nment agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Repo=
rt (MMWR) articles, fact sheets and announcements. Reproduction of this t=
ext is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/T=
B Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of=20
the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for=
full texts of the articles.
HEADLINES
NATIONAL NEWS
MICHIGAN: =93Michigan Prisons Get $1.2 Million to Test for Hepatitis C=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
GLOBAL: =93Pope Again Stresses Chastity to Fight AIDS' Spread; Praises Dr=
ug-Makers Who Keep AIDS Medicines at Low Cost=94
CANADA: =93Syphilis Outbreak Second in Two Years: Male Victims Unable to =
Identify Female Partners=94
CANADA: =93HIV Clinic Planned for Guelph=94
MEDICAL NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM: =93Study Suggests Hepatitis B Vaccine Increases Risk of M=
ultiple Sclerosis=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
TENNESSEE: =93Survey Finds Risky Behavior Among Students=94
NEW JERSEY: =93Learning Their Way; 'The Zone' Keeps Suspended Students Of=
f Streets=94
NEWS BRIEFS
CHINA: =93China to Set Up Nationwide Intervention Teams to Prevent AIDS T=
ransmission=94
CHINA: =93Female-Condom Maker Courts China=94
AFRICA: =93Bono Calls Africa AIDS, Poverty a Crisis=94
CANADA: =93AIDS Walk Nets Over $17,000=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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MICHIGAN:
=93Michigan Prisons Get $1.2 Million to Test for Hepatitis C=94
Lansing State Journal (09.30.04)::Stacey Range
On Wednesday, Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed legislation that provide=
s $1.2 million for a new hepatitis C testing and treatment program for in=
mates in Michigan's 42 prisons. It is the first step in the state's plan =
to fight the spread of the disease among prisoners.=20
=93By controlling the disease among the inmate population, the state=
is taking great strides at addressing what could otherwise become a publ=
ic health issue for all Michigan citizens,=94 Granholm said in a statemen=
t.=20
The new program is part of the Department of Corrections' $1.79 bill=
ion budget for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. Russ Marlan, departmen=
t spokesperson, said prison officials will determine in the coming weeks =
how many inmates they can test and treat in the program's first year. Cur=
rently, about 55 inmates are being treated. Granholm proposed the program=
earlier this year. In September 2003, the Lansing State Journal reported=
that up to 18,000 of Michigan's 48,000 inmates are believed to be infect=
ed with hepatitis C.=20
Prison officials had asked legislators for $2.3 million to test and =
treat 465 inmates in 2005 and $11 million to treat an additional 3,720 in=
2006. Officials said Michigan's budget problems forced them to reduce th=
e initial funding but they will push for more next year.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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GLOBAL:
=93Pope Again Stresses Chastity to Fight AIDS' Spread; Praises Drug-Maker=
s Who Keep AIDS Medicines at Low Cost=94
Associated Press (09.29.04)
On Wednesday in Vatican City, Pope John Paul II again stressed the C=
atholic Church's teaching that abstinence is the best way to stop the sex=
ual spread of HIV. In a written message for the Church's World Day of the=
Sick, the pope described AIDS as =93a pathology of the spirit=94 as well=
as a disease. Sexually transmitted cases of AIDS =93are best avoided abo=
ve all through responsible conduct and the observance of the virtue of ch=
astity,=94 the pope said.
The Vatican maintains that condoms, because they are an artificial f=
orm of birth control, cannot be used to fight the spread of HIV. Last yea=
r, a Vatican Cardinal made headlines with his assertion that condoms do n=
ot prevent the transmission of HIV and may give a false sense of security=
.. But a few months later, another leading cardinal declared that an HIV-p=
ositive person would be committing a sin if he has sex and does not use a=
condom.
The pontiff also praised drug manufacturers who are holding down the=
price of AIDS medicines.=20
=93Heartfelt applause is due the pharmaceutical industries which hav=
e committed themselves to keeping at low costs medicines useful in AIDS t=
herapy,=94 John Paul said. =93Certainly, you need economic resources for =
scientific research in the health field and other resources are also nece=
ssary to market the discovered drugs, but when faced with an emergency li=
ke AIDS safeguarding of human life must come before any other form of con=
sideration.=94
CANADA:=20
=93Syphilis Outbreak Second in Two Years: Male Victims Unable to Identify=
Female Partners=94
Edmonton Journal (09.30.04)::Susan Ruttan
Since June, there have been 18 syphilis cases in the Edmonton region=
, with another seven awaiting confirmation, according to Dr. Ameeta Singh=
, medical director of Capital Health's STD center.=20
From the mid-1980s until 2000, Alberta had no syphilis cases, Singh =
said. Calgary experienced an outbreak, but it was eventually contained. L=
ast year, an outbreak in Edmonton accounted for all but one of Alberta's =
32 cases. Both Vancouver and Winnipeg have ongoing syphilis outbreaks, sh=
e said.=20
The Edmonton men so far testing positive do not know their female se=
x partners, said Singh. Half had sex with prostitutes; the other half had=
one-night stands with women they met in bars or hotels. Only one case wa=
s transmitted through homosexual sex, she said.
Capital Health has had difficulties getting the penicillin preparatio=
n required to treat syphilis, since the Canadian supplier quit production=
, said Singh. However, a US supplier has now been found, she said.
CANADA:=20
=93HIV Clinic Planned for Guelph=94
Guelph Mercury (09.29.04)::Joanne Shuttleworth
A Guelph family physician brought the opening of a regional HIV clin=
ic one step closer Tuesday at the Guelph General Hospital Board of Commis=
sioners meeting. There, Dr. Anne-Marie Zajdlik asked the board to sponsor=
an HIV clinic that would serve a wide southwestern region including Well=
ington, Dufferin, Grey and Bruce counties and the Waterloo Region. =93In =
order for us to be successful and receive [Ministry of Health] funding, w=
e need this board to sponsor the clinic,=94 said Zajdlik. The board discu=
ssed the proposal but did not make a decision.=20
As the only HIV specialist in the region, Zajdlik has seen her HIV/A=
IDS patient numbers increase from seven in 1990 to 76 today. The caseload=
is growing by 5-10 patient a year, she said. Last February, she received=
funding from the Ontario Ministry of Health's AIDS Bureau to hire a cons=
ultant, who helped her plan the clinic and draft the proposal.=20
A planning committee that included partners from the Community Care =
Access Centre, health unit, AIDS committee, and other agencies, helped de=
velop the model. The clinic plans to offer holistic service delivery that=
integrates the work of social workers, pharmacists, doctors and nurses. =
A building for the clinic was purchased in June, and Zajdlik is upbeat ab=
out the ministry's approving the project, which she hopes will open by sp=
ring. Zajdlik said an infectious disease specialist and a pharmacist have=
already committed to work for the project.
=93Statistically we know that AIDS patients who live in rural areas =
die earlier and have more opportunistic infections than their urban count=
erparts,=94 said Brian Warrington, executive director of the AIDS Committ=
ee of Guelph and Wellington counties. =93When people are sick, the last t=
hing they want to do is travel great distances for treatment,=94 said War=
rington, who worked on the project with Zajdlik.
If approved, the facility would be Ontario's 14th HIV clinic. =20
=20
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
UNITED KINGDOM:
=93Study Suggests Hepatitis B Vaccine Increases Risk of Multiple Sclerosi=
s=94
British Medical Journal (09.25.04) Vol. 329; No. 7468: P.703::Owen Dyer
People vaccinated against hepatitis B were at three times greater ri=
sk of developing multiple sclerosis (MS) over the following three years, =
according to a new study. Harvard School of Public Health researcher Dr. =
Miguel Hern=E0n and colleagues analyzed the General Practice Research Dat=
abase, which follows a representative sample of more than 3 million Briti=
sh patients. The researchers found 163 cases of MS diagnosed between 1993=
and 2001 that satisfied study criteria on record keeping; 1,064 matched =
controls who did not have MS were also analyzed.=20
=93The proportion of cases that received at least one hepatitis B im=
munization during the 3 years before the date of first symptoms was 6.7%,=
compared with 2.4% of controls. The odds ratio of MS for vaccination vs =
no vaccination was 3.1 (95% CI 1.5, 6.3),=94 the researchers reported.=20
While several previous studies have tried to establish a link betwee=
n hepatitis B vaccination and MS, all found either no significant associa=
tion or a lower odds ratio than the current study. The researchers noted =
that previous studies have measured time from vaccination to first diagno=
sis of MS, while the current study examined medical records from before e=
ach diagnosis to isolate the first onset of MS symptoms, usually years ea=
rlier.=20
The researchers emphasized they were not taking a position against i=
mmunization by highlighting the fact that 93 percent of MS cases in their=
study had not been immunized with hepatitis B vaccine. =93Any decision c=
oncerning hepatitis B vaccination needs to take into account the large be=
nefits derived from the prevention of a common and potentially lethal inf=
ection,=94 they concluded.=20
A Multiple Sclerosis Society spokesperson reiterated that call for c=
aution: =93We need to study these findings in the context of other recent=
research, which has shown no link between the vaccination and MS. Even o=
n this evidence, however, it is obvious that the serious risks of hepatit=
is B vastly outweigh any very small possible risk from vaccination.=94
The World Health Organization has praised the safety and effectivene=
ss of the hepatitis B vaccine and called for it to be included in routine=
childhood immunization schedules =93for all children in all countries.=94=
=20
In an accompanying editorial, Dr. Robert Naismith and Dr. Anne Cross=
of Washington university noted potential weaknesses of the study =97 in =
particular, the fact that the total of subjects with both MS and hepatiti=
s B vaccination was only 11.=20
The study, =93Recombinant Hepatitis B Vaccine and the Risk of Multip=
le Sclerosis,=94 and the editorial, =93Does Hepatitis B Vaccine Cause Mul=
tiple Sclerosis?=94 were published in Neurology (2004;63:838-842:772-773)=
..=20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
************************************************************
TENNESSEE:
=93Survey Finds Risky Behavior Among Students=94
Commercial Appeal (09.28.04)::Ruma Banerji Kumar
A survey of 1,729 students from 32 Memphis middle and high schools o=
n the behaviors and attitudes that put teenagers at risk found that 63.5 =
percent reported having had sexual intercourse and nearly a third have ha=
d four or more sexual partners. At least a quarter of Memphis high school=
students drank alcohol prior to age 13 and nearly half had smoked mariju=
ana, according to the data, released Monday. The study was conducted thro=
ugh a $1 million CDC grant that allows for Memphis students to be surveye=
d again in March, and again in March 2007, so officials can track increas=
es and decreases in risk behaviors.=20
The study represents the first set of hard data Memphis school and p=
ublic health officials have seen on issues from drug use, sexual activity=
, eating habits, school safety, violence and suicide. The survey comprise=
d responses from around three-fourths of local students in 9th through 12=
th grades. Data showed that Memphis led the state and nation in certain t=
ypes of drug use, youth premarital sex, and poor exercise and eating habi=
ts. The statistics, however, were often comparable to prevalence rates of=
these risk behaviors in similar urban areas like Detroit and Washington.=
=20
Carol Johnson, superintendent for Memphis schools, said the survey's=
findings should be a call to arms for parents and local political leader=
s, churches and community groups. =93I don't think we should hide our hea=
d in the sand about our kids using drugs or having sex,=94 said Johnson. =
=93We have to use this data in a way to propel us to operate differently.=
=94
NEW JERSEY:
=93Learning Their Way; 'The Zone' Keeps Suspended Students Off Streets=94
The Record (Bergen County, N.J.) (09.28.04)::Zinnia Faruque
The Pilgrimage Outreach Ministries in Paterson has run the Zone Alte=
rnative Program for seven years to help students suspended from school fo=
r violent behavior make better life decisions. As part of the three-day w=
orkshops students attend, counselor Isaiah Jenkins Jr. discusses HIV and =
other STDs.
=93Other viruses go their course and die out. But [HIV] is intellige=
nt, invasive, and destructive,=94 Jenkins told a group of 11 students. Ma=
ny of the students quickly became engaged in the discussion. =93You're a =
walking dead person, I promise you that,=94 17 year-old Gladys said of HI=
V infection. Part of Jenkins' HIV education workshop includes dispelling =
unfounded myths that many of the students have heard about HIV/AIDS.=20
The best way to avoid HIV/AIDS, Jenkins told the students, is to pra=
ctice abstinence, use a condom if you have sexual intercourse, and get te=
sted for STDs. =93The safest form of protection is abstinence. Do not thi=
nk that because you're not active that you're lame,=94 he said. =93It's s=
afe sex or none at all.=94
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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CHINA:=20
=93China to Set Up Nationwide Intervention Teams to Prevent AIDS Transmis=
sion=94
Xinhua News Agency (09.30.04)
On Wednesday, China's Health Ministry announced that disease prevent=
ion and control centers nationwide will set up intervention teams to redu=
ce HIV/AIDS among high-risk populations. Teams will be established by Oct=
ober, said the ministry, and will work mainly among injection drug users,=
sex workers and homosexuals. The teams are to promote condom use, needle=
exchange, methadone maintenance therapy and AIDS education. The teams wi=
ll also be responsible for monitoring the epidemic and cooperating with n=
ongovernmental and governmental organizations. =93Curbing the transmissio=
n of HIV/AIDS among high-risk groups and preventing it from spreading fro=
m the high-risk groups to the general population is an important task not=
only for the present but also for a rather long period in the future,=94=
said the ministry. =20
CHINA:=20
=93Female-Condom Maker Courts China=94
Agence France Presse (09.29.04)
The US-based Female Health Company announced Wednesday that it has s=
igned a letter of agreement with Beijing Zizhu Pharmaceutical Co. to dist=
ribute its female condom in China through aid groups and on the open mark=
et. The firms plan to partner with nongovernmental groups on market resea=
rch in 2005, according to Mary Ann Leeper, FHC's CEO.=20
AFRICA:
=93Bono Calls Africa AIDS, Poverty a Crisis=94
Associated Press (09.30.04)::Ed Johnson
Speaking to delegates attending the governing Labour Party's annual =
conference in Brighton, rock star Bono on Wednesday called on Europe and =
the United States to do more to fight HIV/AIDS and poverty in Africa. Bon=
o said 6,500 Africans are =93dying a day of treatable, preventable diseas=
e, dying for want of medicines you and I can get at our local chemist.=94=
Bono, who founded the charity DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa), told the=
group: =93This is not about charity, this is about justice.=94 =93There'=
s no way we can look at Africa, a continent bursting into flames, and if =
we're honest, conclude that it would ever be allowed to happen anywhere e=
lse,=94 he said.=20
CANADA:
=93AIDS Walk Nets Over $17,000=94
Daily Herald-Tribune (Grand Prairie, Alberta) (09.27.04)::Jeff Korenko
On Sunday, 150 people gathered at Muskoseepi Park to take part in th=
e 9th annual HIV North Society AIDS Walk for Life. The event raised $17,1=
30 (US$13,590), all of which will go toward regional HIV services, said B=
renda Moore, executive director of the HIV North Society. According to Mo=
ore, about 100 Peace County residents are known to be living with HIV/AID=
S.=20
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