| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-10-11, 7:10 pm |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Monday, October 11, 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
CALIFORNIA; PENNSYLVANIA: =93Montco Firm Working to Prevent HIV Is Sold=94
ARKANSAS: =93State Auditors Score Agency for Too Much Travel=94
MAINE: =93Ex-Agency Leader Enters Plea=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
UNITED KINGDOM: =93X-Ray Vans Return to Reverse Rise in TB Cases: Mobile =
Units to Check Those Most at Risk in Inner Cities=94
CANADA: =93City 'Abetting' Drug Users, Cullen Fears: Committee OKs Reques=
t by Needle Exchange Program to Dispense Drug Paraphernalia=94
MEDICAL NEWS
UNITED STATES: =93Health and Support Service Utilization Patterns of Amer=
ican Indians and Alaska Natives Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
ARKANSAS: =93ACLU Claims Inmates Untested for TB at Faulkner County Jail=94
NEWS BRIEFS
UGANDA: =93Uganda Launches Injection Safety Project=94
CHINA: =93Beijing to Install Condom Machines to Fight AIDS=94
CHINA: =93Global Fund's AIDS Care Program Starts in Central China Provinc=
e=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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CALIFORNIA; PENNSYLVANIA:
=93Montco Firm Working to Prevent HIV Is Sold=94
Philadelphia Inquirer (10.09.04)::Linda Loyd
On Friday, Cellegy Pharmaceuticals Inc. of South San Francisco, Cali=
f., said it would buy privately held Biosyn Inc. of Huntingdon Valley, Pa=
.., to acquire a contraceptive gel being tested to prevent HIV transmissio=
n. The deal is valued at $30 million.=20
Two university of Pennsylvania researchers founded Biosyn in 1989 to=
develop a vaginal lubricant to prevent pregnancy and many STDs, includin=
g AIDS. Since then, Biosyn secured $50 million in grants and $18 million =
in investment to get Savvy, its microbicide gel, into late-stage clinical=
tests.
=93Biosyn made a strategic decision to seek a business combination t=
o better maximize the development of our pipeline,=94 said Anne-Marie Cor=
ner, Biosyn's cofounder, president and CEO. Cellegy's =93strong clinical =
and regulatory capabilities=94 and =93strategic focus in women's health c=
are makes them a perfect commercial partner for us,=94 she said. Corner w=
ill become senior vice president of women's preventive health in the comb=
ined company and direct Biosyn's 20 employees, who will remain at the Hun=
tingdon Valley facility.=20
With the deal, Biosyn acquires a product that is in two Phase III cl=
inical trials in Africa for preventing sexual transmission of HIV. A diff=
erent Phase III study, this one in the United States, tests the gel as a =
contraceptive. The companies said the product has also shown promise agai=
nst other STDs, such as herpes, chlamydia, gonorrhea and syphilis.
A successful HIV vaccine =93appears to be at least 10 years away,=94=
said K. Michael Forrest, Cellegy's president and CEO. In contrast, the B=
iosyn product could be on the market by the end of 2007, the companies sa=
id. Biosyn has two other HIV product candidates. Cellegy, also a small co=
mpany, is developing medicines for gastrointestinal disorders, women's he=
alth and sexual dysfunction. It has three products about to enter Phase I=
II testing. Its lead product, the nitroglycerine ointment Cellegesic, tre=
ats pain from chronic anal fissures. It is sold in Asia, has been approve=
d in Britain, and awaits US regulatory approval.=20
ARKANSAS:
=93State Auditors Score Agency for Too Much Travel=94
Associated Press (10.09.04)
Results from an audit intended to examine the Arkansas Health Depart=
ment's organizational structure revealed problems related to travel costs=
, travel reimbursement and errors in employee tracking reports. Legislato=
rs requested the management review by the Arkansas Legislative Audit Divi=
sion in May after the Health Department announced a decline in revenue wo=
uld result in a $5.3 million budget cut and the layoffs of 38 employees. =
The department had also said it would eliminate 69 vacant positions.=20
Results of the audit, released Friday, are concerning, said Rep. Jay=
Bradford (D-White Hall), chairperson of the House Public Health, Welfare=
and Labor Committee. =93At this early stage, it's just too early=85 to m=
ake any final judgment but certainly these early signs are disturbing,=94=
said Bradford.
At a meeting Friday of the Joint Auditing Committee, Dr. Fay Boozman=
, director of the Health Department, told legislators he believed the lim=
ited scope and time the auditors had to assess =93a very, very complex ag=
ency=94 reduced their ability to reach accurate conclusions.
The audit's results echoed problems found in a recent internal audi=
t of the agency's AIDS division. That audit, released in September, revea=
led that four employees inappropriately received more than $17,000 throug=
h a travel account, with many of the expenses not supported by receipts.=20
The AIDS division inquiry also revealed more than $53,000 in unsuppo=
rted expenses reported by an organization that receives federal grant mon=
ey from the Health Department. On Wednesday, the Health Department termin=
ated the organization's $182,422 contract and is looking into the agency'=
s entire AIDS program. When asked about the AIDS division problems, Boozm=
an answered: =93We're trying to find out what happened. We had what we be=
lieved to be good controls in place, and those were circumvented by some =
people that used to work for us.=94
MAINE:
=93Ex-Agency Leader Enters Plea=94
Associated Press (10.10.04)
The former director of the Maine AIDS Alliance, an umbrella group fo=
r 13 organizations, has pleaded guilty to theft, and the state has moved =
to drop charges of misuse of entrusted property and falsifying private re=
cords. On Friday in Kennebec County Superior Court, Randall Norcross agre=
ed to a maximum sentence of three years in prison, with all but six month=
s suspended, and four years of probation.
Assistant Attorney General Michael Colleran alleged that Norcross wr=
ote 23 unauthorized checks to cover personal expenses between September 1=
999 and December 2001, when he left the Augusta-based MAA.=20
Norcross told Justice S. Kirk Studstrup that he had taken the positi=
on at MAA at a low salary and was unable to take the four weeks of vacati=
on he had negotiated because he was the sole full-time employee. Norcross=
said he began writing the checks in lieu of his vacation time. =93Again,=
I regret my action in terms of spending money I was not authorized to sp=
end,=94 said Norcross. =93I did it out of deep frustration for not gettin=
g what I needed from the agency.=94
Sharon Pray, an MAA board member who took over as interim director a=
fter Norcross, said his actions damaged the financial integrity of the al=
liance and produced =93deep feelings of betrayal among those with AIDS.=94=
=93Mr. Norcross has sullied the public face and respectable name of Main=
e AIDS Alliance,=94 she said.=20
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
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UNITED KINGDOM:=20
=93X-Ray Vans Return to Reverse Rise in TB Cases: Mobile Units to Check T=
hose Most at Risk in Inner Cities=94
The Guardian (London) (10.08.04)::James Meikle
In England, a mobile digital chest X-ray van from the Netherlands th=
at can screen 300 people a day for tuberculosis has impressed health auth=
orities, who are evaluating whether to field up to six of the vans. TB ca=
ses in England have increased by a quarter in a decade, to 6,638 cases pe=
r year. Forty percent of the cases are in London; seven in 10 occur in et=
hnic minorities; and two-thirds occur in foreign-born persons.=20
The van experiment is not yet complete, but impressions have been go=
od. If approved, the project would target outbreaks, inner cities and at-=
risk populations, including ethnic minorities, those in prison, or those =
in hostels for the homeless or chemically dependent. The project would co=
st up to =A3400,000 (US$718,990). TB experts said that TB vans could be c=
ost effective if they stopped just 25-30 cases a year.
The vans differ significantly from the mobile TB units employed in t=
he 1950s and 1960s. The vans can process X-rays faster with less but high=
ly targeted radiation. =93Wider use of digital X-ray vans will transform =
the old approach of mass radiography into a simpler, probably safer, more=
effective process,=94 said Sir Liam Donaldson, the chief medical officer=
..
The increased coordination of services and better surveillance, diag=
nosis and care necessary for Donaldson's plan would require more money =97=
and none is forthcoming, he said. New York, which Donaldson cited as a T=
B success story, spent $1 billion on its plan, said John Moore-Gillon, Br=
itish Lung Foundation president and British Thoracic Society member. =93I=
f we think [NHS] can solve the problem with cost-neutral reshuffling of r=
esources, we are in for a shock,=94 Moore-Gillon added. =20
CANADA:=20
=93City 'Abetting' Drug Users, Cullen Fears: Committee OKs Request by Nee=
dle Exchange Program to Dispense Drug Paraphernalia=94
Ottawa Citizen (10.08.04)::Daniel Tencer
Ottawa's needle-exchange program has expanded to offer drug parapher=
nalia, including crack pipes, tourniquets and aluminum caps, Dr. Robert C=
ushman, the city's chief medical officer, said in his Oct. 7 report to th=
e City Council health and social services committee. Since September, the=
items have been distributed to help stop transmission of HIV and hepatit=
is C among the city's drug users, said Cushman. Among Ottawa injection dr=
ug users, 75 percent have hepatitis C, he reported, and 21 percent have H=
IV.
=93Research findings demonstrated that crack smokers are at increase=
d risk of blood-borne infections and [STDs],=94 stated Cushman's report s=
upporting pipe distribution. =93Sharing of contaminated equipment increas=
es risk of transmission,=94 it continued. =93Blood residue left on tourni=
quets may lead to cross contamination and transmission of pathogens,=94 a=
nd aluminum caps used for heating and mixing IV drugs are =93known to be =
a reservoir for viruses,=94 the report said.=20
The items' distribution is authorized under Ontario's Health Protect=
ion and Promotion Act, and the city's legal advisors had been =93extensiv=
ely involved in the review of harm reduction products provided throughout=
the Site program,=94 said the report. Ottawa offers on-site and mobile n=
eedle-exchange services. Outreach workers also visit drop-in centers and =
the Byward market area.=20
As the initiative requires no new city funds and falls within the au=
thority of the health and social services committee, the item will not be=
debated by City Council. Ottawa's community and protective services reta=
in the authority to run the program. At least one city councilor was unea=
sy about the paraphernalia: =93It looks like we're abetting illegal drug =
use,=94 said Alex Cullen. He noted some of the program's funding came fro=
m Ontario's Ministry of Health, whose participation indicated its concurr=
ence. A spokesperson for his office said Mayor Bob Chiarelli would not ta=
ke questions on the issue until he has been briefed.=20
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MEDICAL NEWS=09
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UNITED STATES:
=93Health and Support Service Utilization Patterns of American Indians an=
d Alaska Natives Diagnosed with HIV/AIDS=94
AIDS education and Prevention (06.04) Vol. 16; No. 3: P. 238-249::Jill J.=
Ashman; David P=E9rez-Jim=E9nez; Katherine Marconi
In the current study, the authors sought to examine the types of hea=
lth and support services provided by Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resour=
ces Emergency (CARE) Act-funded providers to American Indians/Alaska Nati=
ves and to compare the characteristics and service utilization patterns f=
or this group with those of persons from other racial/ethnic groups. An a=
nalysis of the demographic characteristics, service utilization, and heal=
th outcomes of all HIV-infected clients who received services in five geo=
graphic areas at CARE Act-funded agencies was conducted.
The researchers used standard chi-square tests to look for statistic=
ally significant differences (p < 0.05) between the demographic character=
istics and service utilization patterns of matched pairs of HIV-positive =
American Indian/Native Alaskans with a control group of HIV-positive indi=
viduals of other racial/ethnic backgrounds. Participants were matched on =
gender, age, AIDS diagnosis, insurance, and site.=20
Additional data examined included client characteristics (income, ho=
melessness, HIV exposure category, and health care source), health indica=
tors (CDC-defined disease stage, CD4+ counts, substance abuse and psychia=
tric illness), and service utilization (medical care; mental health treat=
ment/counseling; substance abuse treatment/counseling; case management; d=
ental care; housing, food, emergency financial, and transportation assist=
ance, and buddy/companion and client advocacy services).=20
The researchers found no statistically significant differences betwe=
en the American Indian/Alaska Natives group and the control group for HIV=
exposure category, CD4 count, substance abuse problem and being homeless=
and in their likelihood to receive medical care, dental care, mental hea=
lth or substance abuse treatment/counseling, food, emergency financial, a=
nd transportation assistance, as well as client advocacy and buddy/compan=
ion services. American Indians/Alaska Natives were more likely (55 percen=
t vs. 46 percent) to receive case management services than the control gr=
oup. They were also more likely to receive housing aid (35 percent vs. 25=
percent).
When individuals are matched on key demographic and health character=
istics, =93few differences remain between HIV-positive American Indians/N=
ative Alaskans and other racial/ethnic groups,=94 noted the researchers. =
Two exceptions, however, were case management and housing assistance. =93=
The significantly higher use of case management is not surprising,=94 giv=
en the emphasis by American Indians/Alaska Natives on traditional Native =
American case management,=94 they remarked, while noting that their sign=
ificantly higher use of housing assistance was unexpected. The potential =
need for housing assistance among all American Indians/Alaska Natives ser=
ved by the CARE Act requires further exploration and study, the researche=
rs concluded.=20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
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ARKANSAS:
=93ACLU Claims Inmates Untested for TB at Faulkner County Jail=94
Associated Press (10.08.04)
On Thursday, the Arkansas chapter of the American Civil Liberties Un=
ion filed papers in federal court seeking to force the Faulkner County Ja=
il to test inmates for TB. The group said Friday that the jail has not fo=
llowed the Arkansas Health Department regulation directing that jails wit=
h inmate populations of 50 or more perform skin tests for TB.
One inmate at the facility was found to have TB after he transferred=
to the state prison system, ACLU said. =93It is common knowledge that, l=
eft untreated, TB can kill you, and it is a serious public health concern=
,=94 said ACLU attorney Grif Stockley. =93Prisoners come into contact wit=
h their families, judges, guards, etc., and can infect them. Additionally=
, there may be former prisoners who have been released and are walking ar=
ound right now with TB who contracted it at Faulkner County Jail.=94=20
Already, ACLU is suing the jail on grounds it is overcrowded: It sa=
ys the jail is approved to hold 121 inmates but has held as many as 210. =
A new jail the county is preparing to build would have beds for 264 inmat=
es. Rita Sklar, director of the Arkansas chapter of ACLU, said the overcr=
owding violates the US Constitution. =93Authorities can't be allowed simp=
ly to pretend that constitutional rights of prisoners only kick in when t=
he new jail is finished,=94 she said.
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
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UGANDA:
=93Uganda Launches Injection Safety Project=94
Xinhua News Agency (10.07.04)
Uganda has launched an injection safety and medical waste management=
project to lower patients' and health care workers' risk for exposure to=
HIV/AIDS and other blood-borne diseases, Dr. Alex Kamugisha, minister of=
state for primary health care, announced Thursday. Uganda's Ministry of =
Health and the US Agency for International Development are implementing t=
he five-year, $900,000 project in four districts 10 months prior to launc=
hing it in other districts. =93Unsterilized syringes and needles are dang=
erous not only to patients but also to health workers, who could easily b=
e pricked in the process. Unfortunately, injections are often provided wh=
en the medication could be given orally,=94 Kamugisha said. Quoting injec=
tion safety studies done in the Mbarara and Busoga regions, Kamugisha sai=
d over 40 percent of health workers received injection-related injuries a=
nnually. It is estimated that in Africa, adults receive on average more t=
han=20
two injections annually, and 17-18 percent of patients are injected with =
re-used, unsterilized needles. =20
CHINA:=20
=93Beijing to Install Condom Machines to Fight AIDS=94
Reuters (10.10.04)
Beijing will install about 1,000 condom machines that dispense condo=
ms for 1 yuan (12 US cents) each, said Guan Baoying of Beijing's Disease =
Control and Prevention Center, Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday. The co=
ndoms' quality will be guaranteed. The machines will supplement the city'=
s existing 1,700 condom machines; these are often broken or empty but wil=
l be repaired this month, Baoying said. Nearly three-quarters of the 2 bi=
llion condoms used in China last year were of low quality and, occasional=
ly, unpackaged. =20
CHINA:=20
=93Global Fund's AIDS Care Program Starts in Central China Province=94
Xinhua News Agency (10.08.04)
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria launched its AIDS Care=
China Program on Sept. 29, said program team Director Sun Changsong. The=
AIDS Care China Program is the largest international AIDS prevention eff=
ort in Hubei, covering 12 demonstration districts in state and provincial=
levels, said Sun. Over 70 percent of all deaths in the targeted areas ar=
e AIDS-related, he said. During the initial two years, Hubei will receive=
$5 million for the five-year joint program, said Sun. =20
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ANNOUNCEMENT: National Latino HIV/AIDS Awareness Day (NLHAAD) is October =
15. In support of NLHAAD, the Department of Health and Human Services is=
hosting an Awareness Day=A0Web site that=A0offers information on prevent=
ion, testing, and treatment, as well as information on local NLHAAD event=
s. The=A0Web site address is http://www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances/nlh=
aad/index.html.
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