| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-08, 7:10 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Friday, October 08, 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
NEW JERSEY: =93Assembly Passes Syringe Proposals=94
LOUISIANA: =93LSU Getting $9 Million, 5-Year Grant for Regional STD Cente=
r=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM: =93Britain Responds to AIDS Changes in India=94
MEDICAL NEWS
UNITED STATES: =93Condom Use and Other Factors Affecting Penile Human Pap=
illomavirus Detection in Men Attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Cli=
nic=94
AUSTRALIA: =93Fed: Breath Test a Pain-Free New Alternative to Liver Biops=
ies=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
NEW YORK: =93AIDS Group Moving to Brooklyn 'Epicenter'=94
WISCONSIN: =93HIV-Positive Man Sues Doctor, Says Surgery Canceled=94
NEWS BRIEFS
ANGOLA: =93Angolan Minister Promises First Nationwide Study on HIV/AIDS=94
GLOBAL: =93Sierra Leone Leads World in Child Deaths=94
CALIFORNIA: =93Los Angeles; County Health Officials Call for Condoms in P=
orn Movies=94
TEXAS: =932 Schools Checking Positive TB Tests=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
NEW JERSEY:
=93Assembly Passes Syringe Proposals=94
Philadelphia Inquirer (10.08.04)::Robert Moran
On Thursday, the New Jersey Assembly approved legislation to allow n=
eedle-exchange programs and to let pharmacies sell syringes without requi=
ring a prescription. The votes on the measures were identical: 43-28, wit=
h six abstentions. The bills now move to the Senate. Gov. James McGreevey=
has indicated his support for legal access to sterile syringes.=20
Currently, only New Jersey and Delaware do not allow access to syrin=
ges for intravenous drug users. New Jersey is =93sadly behind the curve=94=
on the issue, said Assembly Majority Leader Joseph J. Roberts Jr. (D-Cam=
den), who sponsored both bills. Roberts noted that in California, Gov. Ar=
nold Schwarzenegger has signed legislation to allow access through pharma=
cies, and the state already has 21 needle-exchange programs in operation.=
Roberts' bill would allow pharmacies to sell up to 10 syringes to custom=
ers 18 and older without a prescription.
Forty-eight states have needle-access laws =93because these programs=
work,=94 said Roberts, who visited exchanges in New York, Philadelphia a=
nd Boston in researching the issue.=20
Supporters of the bills point out that more than half of New Jersey'=
s 60,000 HIV cases are related to IV drug use, compared to the national a=
verage of about 20 percent. They also say that legal access would help cu=
t the spread of hepatitis C and other blood-borne diseases.
But opponents =97 like Assemblymember Joe Pennacchio (R-Morris) said=
the bills would encourage drug addiction and hurt communities. =93Are we=
enabling the drug addict to commit crimes?=94 he asked.
The law would allow a municipality to choose whether it wants a prog=
ram and give it authority to discontinue its program later. Any program w=
ould be required to gain approval by the state health commissioner. The l=
egislation also provides $10 million for drug treatment =97 a 50 percent =
increase, Roberts said.
LOUISIANA:
=93LSU Getting $9 Million, 5-Year Grant for Regional STD Center=94
Associated Press (10.06.04)
A five-year, $9.2 million grant from the National Institute of Aller=
gy and Infectious Diseases will be used to establish a regional center fo=
r studying STDs at Louisiana State university Health Sciences Center in B=
aton Rouge. The new center is one of six being created: The others are at=
Arizona State University, the university of Texas-San Antonio, the Unive=
rsity of Washington, the university of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and In=
diana University.=20
The LSU center will be housed in the university's clinical sciences =
research building, said Dr. David Martin, who will be its co-director wit=
h Dr. Lawrence Stanberry of the university of Texas Medical Branch in Gal=
veston.
The Louisiana branch will research STDs and other infections of the =
reproductive tract. It will focus on infections found more in the Gulf So=
uth than in other states, including chlamydia and trichomonas, as well as=
the bacterium Mycoplasma genitalium. The Galveston branch is looking for=
new compounds to prevent common STDs.=20
CDC reports that among females ages 15-24 attending family-planning =
clinics, Louisiana ranks second among all states for chlamydia, and Texas=
ranks third. Louisiana leads the nation in gonorrhea rates =97 273 cases=
per 100,000 persons; Texas is 14th with 144. Among metro areas of more t=
han 200,000 people, New Orleans has the seventh-highest rate of gonorrhea=
..
The center will focus primarily on women, as they are more likely th=
an men to become infected through a single sexual encounter and are more =
seriously affected by the infections.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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UNITED KINGDOM:
=93Britain Responds to AIDS Changes in India=94
Financial Times (10.06.04)::Ray Marcelo
Gareth Thomas, Britain's junior minister for international developme=
nt, announced Tuesday that the United Kingdom will redesign its =A3123 mi=
llion (US$219 million) Indian AIDS strategy in light of the new Congress =
Party-led government's willingness to fight the epidemic.
Britain's plan had hit bureaucratic obstacles at India's National AI=
DS Control Organization: Only =A328 million (US$50.3 million) have been d=
isbursed in recent years. Thomas said he is encouraged by the new Indian =
government's =93flexible=94 approach to AIDS control; NACO has pledged to=
spend the remaining =A395 million (US$170.5 million) by March 2007. =93W=
e are redesigning the program because the new head of NACO has been keen =
to step up NACO's work. India has changed the way it operates and we resp=
ond to that,=94 Thomas said.
S.Y. Quraishi, the new chief of NACO, has invited public scrutiny of=
its operations and led AIDS awareness campaigns. NACO produced an acclai=
med TV series with the BBC World Service Trust and India's national broad=
caster. However, the UK-funded campaign has had problems: India's governm=
ent last year banned an ad showing a woman packing condoms in her husband=
's luggage.=20
The Congress government, which came to power in May, appears more op=
en regarding matters of sexual health. The new government has permitted c=
ondoms ads on TV, and several Bollywood films have portrayed HIV-positive=
characters.=20
Last month, Richard Feachem, who heads the Global Fund to Fight AIDS=
, TB and Malaria, touched off a controversy when he said India's HIV rate=
is the world's highest. NACO rejected his claim; it plans to hire consul=
tants, possibly including the UK's Department for International Developme=
nt, to assemble more accurate information about HIV rates.=20
During 2004-2005, Britain hopes to distribute =A3250 million (US$448=
..6 million) in development aid to India.
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
UNITED STATES:
=93Condom Use and Other Factors Affecting Penile Human Papillomavirus Det=
ection in Men Attending a Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic=94
Sexually Transmitted Diseases (10.04) Vol. 31; No. 10: P.601-607::Susie B=
.. Baldwin, MD, MPH; Danelle R. Wallace, MPH; Mary R. Papenfuss, MS; Marth=
a Abrahamsen, MPH; Linda C. Vaught; Anna R. Giuliano, PhD
The primary cause of cervical, anal and other anogenital cancers is =
human papillomavirus (HPV). However, the risk factors for penile HPV dete=
ction have not been well characterized.
In the current study, the researchers sought to identify correlates =
of penile HPV detection in ethnically diverse men attending an STD clinic=
..
The researchers conducted a cross-sectional investigation among 393 =
men. Study participants were tested for penile HPV DNA and completed a ri=
sk-factor questionnaire. Polymerase chain reaction with PGMY primers and =
reverse line blot genotyping were used to assess the presence of HPV DNA.=
To identify variables associated with any-type, oncogenic and nononcogen=
ic HPV, the researchers conducted logistic regression analyses.
The results indicated that circumcision was associated with reduced =
risk for HPV =97 oncogenic, nononcogenic and overall. Regular condom use =
was found to be associated with reduced risk for oncogenic and overall HP=
V.
=93These findings, if confirmed by other studies, could impact publi=
c health practices and messages regarding HPV,=94 the authors concluded.
AUSTRALIA:
=93Fed: Breath Test a Pain-Free New Alternative to Liver Biopsies=94
Australian Associated Press (10.07.04)::Kylie Walker=20
Australian researchers have developed a new breath test that helps d=
etect liver damage, including scarring and cirrhosis, which can occur in =
people infected with hepatitis or other liver diseases. It could save mos=
t patients the pain and hospitalization of undergoing liver biopsies, sai=
d Dr. Gordon Park, the test's inventor. =93Liver biopsy is painful in a s=
ignificant proportion of people and there are also risks involved such as=
bleeding and damage to other organs,=94 Park said.
=93Essentially when we do a liver biopsy one of the main questions i=
s to work out whether they have developed cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis =
and the only way we can do that at the moment is through a biopsy,=94 Par=
k said. =93We've found that our breath test, which is a noninvasive metho=
d of looking at the liver, can detect the amount of scarring or fibrosis =
in the liver quite sensitively.=94
In taking the test, a patient drinks a carbon-tagged caffeine equiva=
lent of two cups of coffee. =93When caffeine is absorbed it goes to your =
liver and the liver metabolizes it and that carbon tag is released into t=
he bloodstream and is eventually incorporated into carbon dioxide and exh=
aled,=94 Park said. =93We can measure how much of the carbon tag is in th=
e breath after one hour. In people with liver disease metabolism of caffe=
ine is impaired so there'll be less carbon tag in their breath, while peo=
ple with a healthy liver have quite a lot of carbon in the breath.=94
Park said the test =97 now under review at Sydney hospitals =97 cost=
s about $50 (US$37), and the doctor hopes it will be more widely availabl=
e by next year. =20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
************************************************************
NEW YORK:
=93AIDS Group Moving to Brooklyn 'Epicenter'=94
New York Post (10.07.04)::Hasani Gittens
Declaring that Brooklyn has become the =93epicenter of the [HIV/AIDS=
] epidemic=94 in New York, Housing Works on Wednesday relocated to the bo=
rough.
Fourteen-year-old Housing Works is one of the city's largest HIV/AID=
S advocacy groups; it helps homeless AIDS patients access housing and hea=
lth services. After opening its new Willoughby Street headquarters in Bro=
oklyn, the group's Michael Kink said, =93The AIDS epidemic in New York is=
a combination of racial disparities, poverty and income disparities, gen=
der disparities and immigration disparities, and that all comes together =
in Brooklyn.=94
City Councilmember Yvette Clarke said Brooklyn has =93a burgeoning w=
orking-class immigrant population who don't get the type of medical atten=
tion that other populations may get.=94
Department of Health figures show that between January and September=
2003, there were 28,000 people with HIV/AIDS in Manhattan, almost 22,000=
in Brooklyn, and 19,504 in the Bronx. Yet during that same period, Brook=
lyn had the most AIDS deaths =97 379 =97 followed by the Bronx with 325 a=
nd Manhattan with 312. =93Blacks and Latinos are eight out of 10 AIDS cas=
es in the city. The epidemic in Brooklyn is overwhelmingly made up of peo=
ple of color,=94 Kink said.
Housing Works' move to Brooklyn from its facility on Manhattan's Wes=
t 13th Street should be completed in about six weeks.
WISCONSIN:
=93HIV-Positive Man Sues Doctor, Says Surgery Canceled=94
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (10.05.04)::Derrick Nunnally=20
A lawsuit filed Tuesday by an HIV-positive man in Milwaukee County C=
ircuit Court claims his former doctor canceled scheduled back surgery in =
2002 after learning the patient was HIV-positive. It is a violation of Wi=
sconsin law to refuse treatment because a patient has HIV. The suit was f=
iled by attorneys from Lambda Legal Defense and education Fund, the AIDS =
Resource Center and the Legal Aid Society of Milwaukee.
Stephen D. Spera said he started going to James Cain of Orthopedic A=
ssociates of Milwaukee in 2000 for severe back pain. Spera received regul=
ar injections for the pain for six months in 2002 before Cain suggested s=
pinal fusion surgery, which was scheduled for that November, the suit sta=
tes.=20
A week before surgery, a pre-operation test found that Spera was HIV=
-positive, and when Cain learned the results the surgery was canceled, th=
e suit alleges. Further, the suit said that Cain refused to reschedule su=
rgery even after a Froedtert and Medical college nurse called him a month=
later to say Spera was cleared for surgery.
Spera's suit asks for a court order barring Orthopedic Associates an=
d Cain from denying treatment to HIV patients in the future and for unspe=
cified punitive damages. Jon Givner, a Lambda attorney, said a complaint =
filed with the US Department of Health and Human Services' Office for Civ=
il Rights already prompted Cain to adopt an HIV nondiscrimination policy =
and attend training programs. =20
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
************************************************************
ANGOLA:
=93Angolan Minister Promises First Nationwide Study on HIV/AIDS=94
Xinhua News Agency (10.07.04)
On Thursday, Angola's Health Minister, Albertina Hamukuaya, called t=
he country's HIV/AIDS epidemic =93grave=94 and =93quite worrying,=94 and =
said the first nationwide study on the disease would be published in Dece=
mber. Though Hamukuaya declined to provide any figures for HIV/AIDS incid=
ence in Angola, the minister said partial data indicated the disease is s=
preading at a =93high rate.=94 The provinces of Luanda, central-coast Ben=
guela and southern Cunene are the most-affected areas of Angola, Hamukuay=
a added.
GLOBAL:=20
=93Sierra Leone Leads World in Child Deaths=94
Associated Press (10.07.04)::Gerald Nadler
Among the findings of a UNICEF report released Friday was that HIV/A=
IDS proved a major obstacle to countries' fulfillment of the 2000 UN Mill=
ennium Summit goal of reducing child mortality by two-thirds by 2015. Chi=
ld mortality refers to the number of children who die before age five. At=
present, one in 12 children worldwide do not live to that age. Over half=
of child mortality cases worldwide occurred in sub-Saharan Africa, where=
figures stagnated or increased for over a third of countries. Sierra Leo=
ne had the highest mortality rate, with 284 deaths per 1,000 births. Bots=
wana, Zimbabwe and Swaziland =97 countries with high HIV rates =97 had th=
e second-, third- and fourth-largest increases in child mortality; their =
respective rates of increase were 37 percent, 25 percent and 39 percent. =
Poor newborn care is the most common cause of mortality, while malaria ac=
counts for more deaths than HIV/AIDS, the study said.=20
Malnutrition contributed to over half the deaths, with respiratory infect=
ions and diarrhea killing about one-third.=20
CALIFORNIA:=20
=93Los Angeles; County Health Officials Call for Condoms in Porn Movies=94
Los Angeles Times (10.08.04)::Caitlin Liu
The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services has sent 400 le=
tters to producers and directors of adult films asking that condoms be us=
ed during sex scenes and performers be vaccinated for hepatitis A and B. =
The letters began arriving this week. =93We think this is a matter of wor=
ker protection,=94 said Dr. Jonathan Fielding, director of the county's H=
ealth Department. =93We don't have the authority to enforce this, so this=
is our recommendation,=94 he said. Last month, the state Division of Occ=
upational Safety and Health fined two companies $30,560 each for allegedl=
y allowing their actors to engage in unprotected sex, violating regulatio=
ns that require employers to protect workers exposed to bodily fluids. Th=
e companies, Evasive Angles and TTB Productions, have appealed.
TEXAS:=20
=932 Schools Checking Positive TB Tests=94
Houston Chronicle (10.07.04)::Ruth Rendon; Eric Hanson
Ten of 25 Dobie High School students and faculty whose TB skin tests=
were positive have not yet received chest X-rays to determine whether th=
ey have active TB, health officials said. The remaining 15 people have ta=
ken chest X-rays and showed no sign of active infection, said Rita Obey, =
spokesperson for Harris County Public Health and Environmental Services. =
A group of 342 people from Dobie, part of the Pasadena Independent School=
District, took TB skin tests last month after a student developed TB and=
was hospitalized for over two weeks. Fort Bend County Department of Heal=
th authorities said only a handful of the 230 students and staff at Austi=
n High School would need to receive chest X-rays to confirm TB skin tests=
performed after a student there was diagnosed with TB in September. =20
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