| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-07, 7:10 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Thursday, October 07, 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 the=20
information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for ful=
l texts of the articles.
HEADLINES
NATIONAL NEWS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: =93Safe-Sex, Abstinence Programs Applauded=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
BRAZIL: =93Brazil Starts Campaign to Warn Women of Sex Trade=94
UNITED KINGDOM: =93Call for VAT on Condoms to Be Axed=94
MEDICAL NEWS
TAIWAN: =93Study: AIDS Drug Effective vs. Hepatitis B=94
THE NETHERLANDS: =93Behavioral and Cognitive Barriers to Safer Sex Betwee=
n Men in Steady Relationships: Implications for Prevention Strategies=94
UNITED STATES: =93Merix Drug Would Adapt; AIDS Medicine to Be Personalize=
d=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
CALIFORNIA: =93Sex Diseases on Upswing=94
NEWS BRIEFS
DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: =93Congress Passes D.C. Budget=94
SOUTH AFRICA: =93South African AIDS Campaigner Not Betting on Nobel=94
ZIMBABWE: =93Uganda's President Castigates West in Visit to One-Time Foe =
Zimbabwe=94
NEBRASKA: =93Open House Set for AIDS Project=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
=93Safe-Sex, Abstinence Programs Applauded=94
Washington Times (10.07.04)::S.A. Miller
On Wednesday, D.C. officials credited a city program that promotes a=
bstinence and safe sex with lowering the rate of abortions and out-of-wed=
lock births in the capital. The decreases were the largest in the nation.=
Births to unwed mothers dropped 6.6 percent between 1999 and 2002. From =
1995 to 2002, the D.C. abortion rate fell by more than half.=20
The decline in births to unwed mothers =97 without an increase in th=
e abortion rate =97 earned the District a $25 million bonus from the US D=
epartment of Health and Human Services (HHS). Maryland, New Hampshire and=
New York also received the bonuses, which are an outgrowth of the 1996 W=
elfare Reform Act. The District has received the money each of the six ye=
ars the program has been in effect, netting it a total of $140 million fo=
r social service efforts.
In announcing the bonuses last week, HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson sa=
id, =93Reducing out-of-wedlock births is an achievement that deserves rew=
ard, and I congratulate these states and the District of Columbia for set=
ting a good example for other states to follow.=94
The city's progress is the direct result of the =93Be on the Safe Si=
de=94 campaign, said Kate Jesberg, administrator for the D.C. Department =
of Human Services' Income Maintenance Administration. The program deliver=
ed abstinence and safe-sex messages through radio spots, a musical CD, an=
d community groups like Covenant House and Catholic Charities.
=93It's a mixed message,=94 Jesberg said. =93It's both abstinence an=
d safe sex if they are already engaged in sex. =85We don't particularly t=
alk about sex, per se; we find that engaging people in an ongoing program=
actually serves to allow them to delay sex.=94 The effort targets 6th- t=
hrough 8th-graders, whom Jesberg said are the best age group for the inte=
rvention. =93Very clearly here we are on a downward trend, and that's a g=
ood thing.=94
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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BRAZIL:
=93Brazil Starts Campaign to Warn Women of Sex Trade=94
Financial Times (London) (10.07.04)::Raymond Colitt
On Wednesday, Brazil launched a government awareness campaign to hel=
p curb illegal trafficking of women for sexual exploitation abroad. As pa=
rt of the campaign, Brazilian women obtaining travel documents to go abro=
ad are being given a pamphlet picturing a naked woman with a message stam=
ped on her back: =93First they take your passport, then your freedom.=94
The illegal trafficking of women =97 mostly from poor countries =97 =
generates $9 billion a year and is the third largest illegal trade behind=
drugs and weapons, according to the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC)=
.. The number of Brazilian women, mostly ages 18-21, forced into prostitut=
ion abroad by international crime rings has increased considerably in rec=
ent years; most are taken to Spain, Portugal or Italy.
=93Dreams usually end up as nightmares. It is a very serious situati=
on that is still not well known here,=94 explained Claudia Chagas, secret=
ary of the justice ministry. The women often leave Brazil voluntarily wit=
h the promise of an overseas job and therefore no apparent crime has been=
committed. Other pamphlets that are being distributed read: =93Beware of=
unexpected affectionate advances or generous job offers,=94 and =93You m=
ay never see your family again.=94
The campaign, cosponsored by UNODC and the Portuguese government, ta=
rgets the four most affected Brazilian states with radio messages and lar=
ge warning signs posted at airports. Police officers, judges and diplomat=
s working at foreign consulates in the country are also to receive awaren=
ess training.
UNITED KINGDOM:
=93Call for VAT on Condoms to Be Axed=94
The Guardian (10.06.04)::James Meikle
On Tuesday, government advisers called for the Value Added Tax on ov=
er-the-counter contraceptives to be abolished in an effort to reduce the =
=93high and prohibitively expensive=94 costs of unwanted pregnancies and =
STDs. Persons in at-risk groups, including young people, are sometimes de=
terred from using condoms because of their price, said the advisers.
Contraceptives are offered free by the National Health Service. But =
in its first annual report, the independent advisory group for sexual hea=
lth and HIV said people must feel free to decide where they obtain contra=
ceptives.=20
The recommendation was supported by the Family Planning Association:=
It said three-packs of condoms cost an average of =A32.80 (US$4.99); spe=
rmicides cost =A32.60-4.50 (US$4.63-5.53); and the morning-after pill cos=
ts =A324 (US$42.78).
Already, said the advisory group, contraception saves NHS an estimat=
ed =A32.5 billion (US$4.46 billion) annually. Abolishing the VAT on the p=
roducts was among 29 recommendations it made in response to rising rates =
of STDs, which account for almost 675,000 diagnoses in England each year.=
It called on NHS to fund 90 percent of all abortions =97 up from the cur=
rent 80 percent; to cut waiting times at sexual health clinics to a maxim=
um of 48 hours; and for clinic services to be tailored to ethnic minoriti=
es.
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
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TAIWAN:
=93Study: AIDS Drug Effective vs. Hepatitis B=94
Associated Press (10.07.04)::Stephanie Nano
Lamivudine, a long-used AIDS drug, appears to be the first effective=
, long-term treatment for patients with advanced liver disease caused by =
hepatitis B virus (HBV), according to a study released today. While lamiv=
udine, also known as 3TC, has been available for treatment of HBV since 1=
998, its long-term effects in patients with serious liver disease or cirr=
hosis were unknown.=20
Dr. Yun-Fan Liaw, of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and university of =
Taipei Taiwan, and colleagues tested the drug for nearly three years in 6=
51 patients, mostly Asians. The researchers found the drug cut in half th=
e risk of liver failure and the chance the disease would develop into liv=
er cancer. Of those who received lamivudine, about 8 percent saw their li=
ver disease get worse, compared with 18 percent of those given a placebo.=
The study was halted because of the difference in the groups, and all pa=
tients were offered lamivudine.
=93For years and years and years, we had absolutely nothing to offer=
patients who had advanced hepatitis-B-related liver disease. So it's a s=
ignificant study,=94 said Dr. Jack R. Wands of the Liver Research Center =
and Brown Medical School in Providence, R.I. Wands added that other drugs=
are in development that could give doctors even more potent options for =
treating HBV.=20
Liaw noted that doctors have been reluctant to use lamivudine long-t=
erm because some patients can develop resistance to the drug, which happe=
ned to about half of those in the study. Patients who develop resistance =
can now be switched to Hepsera, or adefovir dipivoxil, said Liaw. Hepsera=
was approved two years ago; the long-term effects of Hepsera are unknown=
.. A third HBV treatment, interferon, has side effects and is typically us=
ed in patients with less advanced liver disease.=20
The full study, =93Lamivudine for Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B =
and Advanced Liver Disease,=94 was published in the New England Journal o=
f Medicine (2004;351(15):1521-1531).
THE NETHERLANDS:
=93Behavioral and Cognitive Barriers to Safer Sex Between Men in Steady R=
elationships: Implications for Prevention Strategies=94
AIDS education and Prevention (08.04) Vol. 16; No. 4:P. 304-314::Udi Davi=
dovich; John B.F. de Wit; Wolfgang Stroebe
As steady partners are a major source of HIV infection among gay men=
, the current study focused on better understanding the sexual risks take=
n in steady relationships. The authors =93examined characteristics of the=
first incident of unprotected anal intercourse (UAI) between steady male=
partners. We also examined cognitive barriers to safer sex by way of XXX=
ociating beliefs regarding UAI with protective behavior.=94
Three hundred twenty-four gay men ages 18-34 completed questionnaire=
s assessing their sexual behavior and related cognitions. Of the particip=
ants who engaged in UAI with their steady partners, 55 percent did so wit=
hin the first three months of the relationship, and 46 percent did not di=
scuss UAI prior to it occurring.=20
Study authors found both the perception of UAI as a symbol of trust =
and belief that the partner desired UAI =93were associated with less cond=
om use but also with a higher likelihood that men established HIV-negativ=
e seroconcordance and made sexual agreements (i.e., practiced negotiated =
safety).=94 In addition, the perception that UAI is more gratifying was a=
ssociated with risky UAI.
These findings suggest that interventions can highlight beliefs rega=
rding trust and partner's desire for UAI as a way to promote negotiated s=
afety. =93In relationships where negotiated safety cannot be implemented,=
=94 the authors concluded, =93HIV prevention should regard the above beli=
efs, in particular the perception that UAI is more gratifying, as importa=
nt barriers to safer sex.=94 These findings, which indicate the early ons=
et of risk in relationships, emphasized the narrow timeframe for preventi=
ng sexual risk before it occurs. Targeting single gay men for promoting s=
afer sex in future steady partnerships could help, they concluded.
UNITED STATES:
=93Merix Drug Would Adapt; AIDS Medicine to Be Personalized=94
News & Observer (10.05.04)::Jean P. Fisher
Durham, N.C.-based Merix Bioscience is announcing plans to begin a P=
hase I clinical trial in the Netherlands, with the help of Amsterdam's Ac=
ademic Medical Center, to test the safety of the first-ever personalized =
vaccine for HIV-infected patients.
Merix believes the vaccine, once proven safe and effective, would re=
present a huge leap forward in treating HIV/AIDS. Current treatments, inc=
luding drug cocktails, work for a time but eventually lose effectiveness =
as HIV mutates and develops drug resistance. The new technology uses viru=
s extracted from a patient's own blood to produce a vaccine that is genet=
ically programmed to seek out and destroy the specific strains and mutati=
ons of HIV in that particular patient's body.
Researchers at the Amsterdam center will make the vaccine using Meri=
x's exclusive technology, administer it to about a dozen patients, and mo=
nitor their responses. The trial will begin in the spring; results are ex=
pected by the end of 2005. The Amsterdam center will have no financial in=
terest in any marketable product developed through the trial.
Merix is also announcing its new name: Argos Therapeutics. Argos wil=
l spend about $1 million on the trial. Argos and its Dutch research partn=
er plan to apply for a Dutch grant to support the effort. Argos will also=
seek a $22 million grant from the US National Institutes of Health.
=93The desired outcome of this trial is that it's well-tolerated and=
we see encouraging evidence that we've turned on the immune system to be=
effective,=94 said company CEO Clint G. =93Skip=94 Dederick. =93If that =
goes well, then that's going to build confidence that there's a reasonabl=
e chance of success in an efficacy trial.=94 =20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
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CALIFORNIA:
=93Sex Diseases on Upswing=94
Los Angeles Daily News (10.03.04)::Susan Abram
Health experts in the Santa Clarita Valley are worried that the stea=
dy increases in gonorrhea and chlamydia cases they are seeing mirror a gr=
owing problem throughout Los Angeles County. As of July, the Valencia-bas=
ed Northeast Valley Health Corp. confirmed 30 cases of chlamydia and eigh=
t of gonorrhea, compared with 27 cases of chlamydia and two gonorrhea cas=
es for all of 2003.=20
The Los Angeles Department of Health Services said gonorrhea diagnos=
es, found mostly in men and women ages 20-24, are surging in certain area=
s. =93We've seen the largest increases [in gonorrhea] on the west side, i=
n the Antelope Valley and in the San Gabriel Valley,=94 said Dr. Peter Ke=
rndt, the county's director of STD programs. In 2002, 7,800 gonorrhea cas=
es were reported in the county. Preliminary data for 2003 show that numbe=
r has risen to 8,008. In the Antelope Valley, gonorrhea cases increased b=
y 8 percent from 2002 to 2003.=20
Drug-resistant strains of gonorrhea are increasing in many areas of =
the world, including the United States, and successful treatment of the d=
isease is becoming more difficult, according to CDC. Federal health autho=
rities recommend that patients with gonorrhea should be tested for other =
STDs.
Kerndt said the increases may be due to better screening and reporti=
ng, but said they also could reflect a rise in risky sexual behavior, esp=
ecially a complacent attitude toward oral sex among young people. =93We'v=
e heard about it, and we're concerned about it, because oral sex may not =
be perceived [by young people] as high-risk behavior,=94 said Kerndt.=20
=93The responses we get from some of the students, especially the ol=
der ones, is they think if they don't have intercourse, they won't get ST=
Ds,=94 said Judy Belty, director of a 10-year-old program that discuses t=
he benefits of abstinence in schools. Belty added that teens are taught t=
o rely on condoms, but do not know that condoms do not always prevent STD=
s.
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:
=93Congress Passes D.C. Budget=94
Washington Post (10.07.04)::Spencer S. Hsu
On Wednesday, Congress approved the District's 2005 budget. Senate n=
egotiators failed to overturn a House-backed ban that prohibits spending =
D.C. funds on needle-exchange programs or on lobbying Congress for stateh=
ood or voting representation. By keeping the ban in place, Congress =93co=
ntinues to disenfranchise and discriminate against people living with HIV=
/AIDS=94 in the District, which has the highest HIV-infection rate and at=
-risk population among US cities, said A. Cornelius Baker, executive dire=
ctor of the Whitman-Walker Clinic. President Bush is expected to sign the=
measure soon.
SOUTH AFRICA:
=93South African AIDS Campaigner Not Betting on Nobel=94
Reuters (10.07.04)::Gordon Bell; Manoah Esipisu
Zackie Achmat and the Treatment Action Campaign, the AIDS activist g=
roup he leads, are among contenders for this year's Nobel Peace Prize. TA=
C has fought a long battle with South Africa's government, which until la=
te last year resisted giving antiretroviral drugs to AIDS patients. Achma=
t, who is HIV-positive, has said he does not expect to win, but, =93If we=
would be so lucky to get it, it would give enormous recognition to peopl=
e living with HIV, but that has already been achieved with the nomination=
..=94 The UN's International Atomic Energy Agency and its leader, Mohamed =
ElBaradei, are widely viewed as the favorites for this year's prize, whic=
h is worth about $1.36 million. The winner will be announced Friday in Os=
lo.
ZIMBABWE:=20
=93Uganda's President Castigates West in Visit to One-Time Foe Zimbabwe=94
Associated Press (10.06.04)::Angus Shaw
In Zimbabwe, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni said Western nations =
are pressing condom use in order to profit from AIDS-ravaged Africa, acco=
rding to Zimbabwe state media. =93Europeans say: 'Use condoms,' but there=
are sexual sicknesses condoms cannot stop. Because of greed for money, E=
uropeans are endangering the human race,=94 said Museveni, the Herald new=
spaper reported. Museveni criticized the West for opposing Zimbabwe's aut=
horitarian ruler, Robert Mugabe. Museveni said that many African countrie=
s, including Uganda, were =93constipated=94 by Western democratic values =
that he said were incompatible with traditional African values, according=
to an audience member Associated Press interviewed on condition of anony=
mity. In his rare visit, Museveni described Uganda's late 1990's conflict=
with Zimbabwe during Congo's four-year civil war as =93a little misunder=
standing=94 between friends.=20
NEBRASKA:
=93Open House Set for AIDS Project=94
Omaha World-Herald (10.06.04)
To celebrate its 20th anniversary, the Nebraska AIDS Project will ho=
ld a free open house Thursday evening from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at its headqu=
arters, 139 S. 40th St, in Omaha. =93We're inviting people to come into o=
ur 'house' and see the work we do,=94 said Tim Sullivan, NAP's executive =
director. Visitors can sign a memorial quilt and view a timeline of NAP's=
history, said Sullivan. NAP has grown from an all-volunteer organization=
serving just Omaha into one that serves clients statewide with 33 employ=
ees and a budget of $1.6 million; it also serves 11 counties in southwest=
Iowa.=20
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