| prevention-news@cdcnpin.org 2004-09-21, 11:08 am |
| CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update
Monday, September 20, 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
ARKANSAS: =93Elders Says Churches Should Promote Sex Education=94
INTERNATIONAL NEWS
CANADA: =93McLellan Pledges $85 Million HIV Funding: Annual AIDS Walk Kee=
ps Awareness, Hopes Alive=94
CANADA: =93Prince Edward Island AIDS Group Calls On Province to Fund Need=
le-Exchange Program=94
CHINA: =93China to Increase Input in Tuberculosis Control=94
INDIA: =93India to Hire Private Consultants to Find Out How Many HIV-Posi=
tive=94
MEDICAL NEWS
FRANCE: =93Peginterferon Alfa-2a Alone, Lamivudine Alone, and the Two in =
Combination in Patients with HBeAg-Negative Chronic Hepatitis B=94
LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS
OHIO: =93AIDS Groups Criticize Gathering that Will Teach Only Abstinence=94
NEWS BRIEFS
SINGAPORE: =93Increase in HIV Infection in Singapore Among Gays=94
CANADA; TANZANIA: =93Canada Funds Tanzania's Anti-AIDS Program=94
MASSACHUSETTS: =93Romney Vetoes $76 Million, Including Retroactive Pay fo=
r State College=94
NEW JERSEY: =93Paterson Mayor to Free HIV/AIDS Grant=94
CALIFORNIA: =93Olympic Athletes, Celebrities Compete in Nautica Malibu Tr=
iathlon=94
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NATIONAL NEWS=09
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ARKANSAS:
=93Elders Says Churches Should Promote Sex Education=94
Associated Press (09.18.04)
Friday in Springdale, Ark., former US Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn E=
lders said that if religious groups want to cut teen pregnancy rates, chu=
rches should take a greater role in providing sex education. Church leade=
rs =93need to do more than moralize from the pulpit and preach to the cho=
ir. They've got to get out in the streets and work with our young people,=
=94 Elders told 175 health-care professionals, urging them to call on chu=
rches, schools, politicians and media to provide young people with better=
education about sex.
=93We in our society have not really decided how we're going to hand=
le our adolescents. Yet we know they need help to make healthy decisions =
to protect themselves from teen pregnancy, to protect themselves from STD=
s, to protect themselves from HIV,=94 Elders said.=20
The birth rate for Arkansans ages 15-19 was 70 per 1,000 in 1991 and=
had fallen to 59 per 1,000 in 2002. Nationwide, according to the Nationa=
l Center for Health Statistics, births among those ages 15-19 fell from 6=
1 per 1,000 to 43 per 1,000, Elders said, crediting efforts to educate te=
ens about abstinence and birth control. =93They've all gone down, which m=
eans that our young people are protecting themselves,=94 Elder said, thou=
gh she noted that about 80 percent of young people are sexually active by=
age 20. =93We blame our children, but the problem really lies with us,=94=
Elders said, as she called on churches and schools to encourage students=
to use contraception and help parents learn the skills needed to talk to=
their children about sex.=20
Elders led the Arkansas Health Department before being named surgeon=
general by President Bill Clinton in 1993. The following year, she resig=
ned after making controversial remarks about teaching children about mast=
urbation. She is now professor emeritus at the university of Arkansas for=
Medical Sciences in Little Rock.
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INTERNATIONAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
CANADA:
=93McLellan Pledges $85 Million HIV Funding: Annual AIDS Walk Keeps Aware=
ness, Hopes Alive=94
Edmonton Journal (09.20.04)::Ron Chalmers
Yesterday at Edmonton's annual AIDS Walk for Life, Deputy Prime Mini=
ster Anne McLellan said Canada's government has promised to double its an=
nual support for HIV/AIDS programs from $42.2 million (US$32.5 million) t=
o $84.4 million (US$64.9 million) in the coming five years.=20
=93People are still ill and dying,=94 said Edmonton Counselor Michae=
l Phair. =93We must ensure that people don't forget,=94 he said, assertin=
g that the dangers of high-risk activities like needle sharing and unprot=
ected sex must continually be emphasized to new audiences like young peop=
le and recent immigrants.
McLellan addressed the crowd at a pre-walk rally at City Hall. In an=
interview, she said anti-AIDS efforts would see a $5 million increase in=
the current year. Most of the money will go to existing community-based =
organizations, she said.=20
But Sherry McKibben, executive director of the HIV Network of Edmont=
on Society, said that while McLellan has promised this for two years, her=
government has not delivered. =93I had a staff of 14 people three years =
ago, and now I'm down to eight people. I laid off one staff person this w=
eek and, without more money, I will have to lay off another person.=94=20
McLellan said the increase was announced after the current budget wa=
s determined. =93I would hope the Treasury Board would approve it by the =
end of October, but that's not my call,=94 she said.
More than 200 people took part in Edmonton's 5K walk. Canada's AIDS =
Walk for Life is being held at 128 sites between Sept. 19 and Sept. 26.
CANADA:=20
=93Prince Edward Island AIDS Group Calls On Province to Fund Needle-Excha=
nge Program=94
Canadian Press (09.18.04)
In response to increasing intravenous drug use in Prince Edward Isla=
nd, the government needs to provide a publicly funded comprehensive needl=
e-exchange program, said Jennifer Woodworth, an employee of AIDS P.E.I. A=
needle exchange benefits the community by safely disposing needles, prev=
enting HIV and hepatitis C, and offering anonymous testing and education =
programs, she said. =20
Woodworth's appeal follows an accident in Moncton, New Brunswick, in=
which a child was stuck with a used syringe left in a public park. That =
incident prompted a similar call by SIDA/AIDS Moncton for a needle exchan=
ge in that community.
Since 2001, AIDS P.E.I. has run an informal needle-exchange program =
used by 20-30 regular clients, said Woodworth. The program disposes of us=
ed syringes, issues clean ones, and records the initials and ages of its =
anonymous clients. Woodworth said the exchange needs government funding. =
=93It all comes out of our budget=94 now, she said. =93Something governme=
nt-run would be ideal. It would give better control and statistical infor=
mation and more volunteers and better supplies.=94
With a near doubling in the numbers of exchange users, the program i=
s being strained. =93We had a crisis a while ago. We had no money for new=
needles. We were down to less than 500 needles in the office and we can'=
t stop the service,=94 said Woodworth. The program netted 4,445 dirty nee=
dles between January and September, while it distributed 2,850. =93There =
seems to be a network who collect [needles] and bring them to us,=94 Wood=
worth said.
The Health Department is aware of the situation, said Sara Underwood=
, a department spokesperson. A government harm-reduction committee is cur=
rently reviewing a report on the issue =93before it goes to the minister,=
=94 she said.
CHINA:=20
=93China to Increase Input in Tuberculosis Control=94
Xinhua News Agency (09.20.04)
China will increase funding for TB control and provide free treatmen=
t for poor patients, Yu Jingjin, senior Chinese Health Ministry official,=
said Friday at the World Health Organization regional meeting in Shangha=
i. China has an estimated 1.45 million new TB cases every year, among whi=
ch 650,000 are contagious, according to WHO.=20
Since 2001, China has earmarked 40 million yuan (US$4.8 million) per=
year to provide free TB medicine for migrant workers and farmers. =93Mor=
e than 80 percent of China's tuberculosis patients are living in rural ar=
eas, especially in the poor areas, and many of them can't afford proper m=
edical treatment,=94 Yu said. =20
=93In the following several years, the budget for tuberculosis is ex=
pected to exceed 100 million yuan (US$12 million)=94 with the goal of att=
aining WHO's recommended 90 percent recovery and 70 percent detection rat=
es, said Yu.=20
Employing the WHO TB strategy of Directly Observed Therapy, Short-co=
urse (DOTS), China's TB recovery rate has surpassed 90 percent since 1994=
.. At the end of 2003, 85 percent of China used DOTS. =93The difficult are=
a is in the case detection rate,=94 said Yu. China's TB detection rate wa=
s 45 percent in 2003, much lower than the 70 percent target. To reach the=
nation's 70 percent detection rate goal in 2005, China will increase spu=
tum-check positions and track patients through a nationwide computer-base=
d disease-reporting network, said Yu.=20
In the Western Pacific region, the estimated TB case detection rate =
is 39 percent, said Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director, in a report at =
the Shanghai meeting.
=20
INDIA:
=93India to Hire Private Consultants to Find Out How Many HIV-Positive=94
Agence France Presse (09.20.04)
In response to warnings that India's official estimate of 5.1 millio=
n HIV infections is artificially low, the government will seek out privat=
e consultants to help it determine a more accurate number among its billi=
on-plus population. =93We are considering private agencies like Tata Cons=
ultancy, [Indian Institute of Management]-Bangalore and McKinsey to carry=
out this survey. This will be finalized in about two weeks,=94 said Heal=
th Minister Anbumani Ramadoss.=20
=93We are very much concerned,=94 said Ramadoss. =93We want to check=
[the estimate] before this becomes an economic burden. We feel ashamed w=
hen visitors to India express apprehension over the AIDS situation here.=94
In July, India's National AIDS Control Organization reported there w=
ere 5.1 million HIV-positive Indians, a figure second only to South Afric=
a, where 5.3 million people are HIV-infected. India recorded 520,000 new =
HIV cases in 2003, a drop from 610,000 in 2002 =97 which NACO said was ev=
idence that its anti-AIDS efforts were working.=20
But nongovernmental groups working to fight HIV/AIDS in India were s=
keptical as to the accuracy of NACO estimates. Last week, Richard Feachem=
, executive director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, wa=
rned that India sits on a =93grave, ticking HIV/AIDS timebomb.=94 Ramados=
s noted that India's HIV-positive population was 0.5 percent, compared to=
2.1 percent in Thailand and 2.3 percent in South Africa.=20
************************************************************
MEDICAL NEWS=09
************************************************************
FRANCE:=20
=93Peginterferon Alfa-2a Alone, Lamivudine Alone, and the Two in Combinat=
ion in Patients with HBeAg-Negative Chronic Hepatitis B=94
New England Journal of Medicine (09.16.04) Vol. 351; No. 12: P. 1206-1217=
::Patrick Marcellin, MD; George K.K. Lau, MD; Ferruccio Bonino, MD; Patri=
zia Farci, MD; Stephanos Hadziyannis, MD; Rui Jin, MD; Zhi-Meng Lu, MD; T=
eerha Piratvisuth, MD; Georgios Germanidis, MD; Cihan Yurdaydin, MD; Mois=
es Diago, MD; Selim Gurel, MD; Ming-Yang Lai, MD; Peter Button, MSc; Nige=
l Pluck, MD, for the Peginterferon Alfa-2a HbeAg-Negative Chronic Hepatit=
is B Study Group
Treatments for patients with hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative =
chronic hepatitis B are associated with poor sustained responses, the stu=
dy authors note. The resulting strategy of continued use of nucleoside an=
d nucleotide analogues is associated with the risk of resistance and unkn=
own long-term safety implications.
Researchers compared the effectiveness and safety of once-weekly 180=
=B5g peginterferon alfa-2a plus placebo, peginterferon alfa-2a plus 100 =
mg daily lamivudine, and lamivudine alone in 177, 179, and 181 HBeAg-nega=
tive chronic hepatitis B patients, respectively.=20
After 24 weeks of follow-up, researchers found a significantly highe=
r percentage of patients taking peginterferon monotherapy or combination =
therapy, compared to lamivudine alone, had normalization of alanine amino=
transferase levels or HBV DNA levels below 20,000 copies/mL (peginterfero=
n monotherapy: 59 percent and 43 percent, respectively; peginterferon plu=
s lamivudine: 60 percent and 44 percent; lamivudine alone: 44 percent and=
29 percent). Sustained HBV DNA suppression rates to below 400 copies/mL =
occurred among 19 percent of patients taking peginterferon monotherapy; 2=
0 percent taking combination therapy; and 7 percent taking lamivudine alo=
ne.=20
Loss of hepatitis B surface antigen occurred in 12 patients in the p=
eginterferon arms; no such clearance occurred in the group given only lam=
ivudine. Patients taking lamivudine had fewer adverse events =97 includin=
g pyrexia, fatigue, myalgia and headache =97 than did patient groups taki=
ng peginterferon.
Patients had significantly higher rates of response, sustained for 2=
4 weeks after cessation of therapy, with peginterferon alfa-2a than with =
lamivudine. =93The addition of lamivudine to peginterferon alfa-2a did no=
t improve post-therapy response rates,=94 the researchers concluded. =
=20
=20
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LOCAL AND COMMUNITY NEWS=09
************************************************************
OHIO:
=93AIDS Groups Criticize Gathering that Will Teach Only Abstinence=94
Columbus Dispatch (09.16.04)::Alice Thomas
An upcoming Ohio Department of Health-sponsored conference on abstin=
ence education has come under fire from AIDS groups that say its abstinen=
ce-until-marriage focus completely ignores gay men =97 the group most at =
risk for HIV/AIDS. The conference, designed for educators but open to the=
public, will be held Sept. 24-25 in Columbus; speaker topics include AID=
S, other STDs prevention and birth control.=20
The conference's focus is =93hugely problematic=94 when =93unprotect=
ed male-male sex is still the most significant risk factor for contractin=
g AIDS,=94 said Earl Pike, director of the AIDS Task Force of Greater Cle=
veland. Department of Health statistics show 70 percent of Ohio men with =
AIDS contracted HIV through male-to-male intercourse. =93When you say abs=
tinence until marriage, the first and most fundamental issue is gay peopl=
e are invisible=94 to the program, said Pike.=20
Valerie Huber, program manager for the abstinence-education program =
at the Health Department, said the exclusion of gays from Ohio's abstinen=
ce program emanates from a 1996 federal law that provided funding for sta=
te-sponsored abstinence programs. =93Since 90 percent of Americans will m=
arry at some point in their life, we really think that this message has v=
alue,=94 Huber noted. She hopes the conference =97 paid for with $6,000 i=
n state funds =97 will become an annual event.=20
AIDS groups are distressed about the ideology behind the conference'=
s focus. They contend that abstinence should be one of several prevention=
strategies supported by the state. =93Abstinence only teaches young peop=
le about condoms in the context of their failure. I think that puts young=
people at great risk,=94 said Kevin Sullivan, director of the Columbus-b=
ased Ohio AIDS Coalition. Health Department spokesperson Michelle Loparo =
said there are state programs that discuss the condom's role in STD preve=
ntion and promote their use.=20
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NEWS BRIEFS =09
************************************************************
SINGAPORE:
=93Increase in HIV Infection in Singapore Among Gays=94
Agence France Presse (09.19.04)
The latest government statistics on HIV infection in Singapore show =
that the number of homosexuals infected is on the rise. =93Heterosexual t=
ransmission has been the most common mode of HIV transmission among Singa=
poreans since 1991,=94 said the Ministry of Health's Web site. =93However=
, since 2001, an increasing trend of HIV infection has been observed amon=
g homosexual men in Singapore, from 12 cases reported in 2000 to 40 cases=
in 2003. During the first half of this year, 31 of the 138 new cases rep=
orted acquired the infection through homosexual transmission,=94 the Heal=
th Ministry said, adding that sexual transmission remains the main mode o=
f HIV infection in Singapore. Heterosexual transmission accounted for 65 =
percent of the 168 cases for the first half of 2003, with homosexual tran=
smission accounting for 23 percent and bisexual transmission 8 percent.=20
CANADA; TANZANIA:
=93Canada Funds Tanzania's Anti-AIDS Program=94
Xinhua News Agency (09.18.04)
Canada has donated $4.5 million (US$3.47 million) to help Tanzania's=
government provide HIV/AIDS patients with free antiretroviral drugs. Loc=
al media reported that Canadian Minister for International Cooperation Ai=
leen Carroll was in Dar es Salaam on Saturday to deliver the money. The g=
overnment hopes to provide free AIDS medicines to some 30,000 Tanzanians,=
with the program extending to 220,000 HIV/AIDS patients between 2005 and=
2006.=20
MASSACHUSETTS:
=93Romney Vetoes $76 Million, Including Retroactive Pay for State College=
=94
Associated Press (09.17.04)::Steve LeBlanc
On Friday, among other actions taken on the state's proposed $724 m=
illion supplemental budget, Gov. Mitt Romney let stand a provision requir=
ing the state to spend federal abstinence education dollars in classrooms=
rather than on TV advertising.
NEW JERSEY:=20
=93Paterson Mayor to Free HIV/AIDS Grant=94
The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)(09.17.04)::Nate Schweber
Paterson Mayor Jose Torres said that $256,000 in federal Ryan White =
grant money will be redistributed within 45 days. The City Council had vo=
ted in May to approve funding for 16 of 22 AIDS service providers in Berg=
en and Passaic counties, but the council vote also withheld $256,000 of t=
he $4.8 million Ryan White funds. The Ryan White Planning Council sued th=
e city, arguing that it could only vote to approve or oppose, not redistr=
ibute the funds. After the court voided the City Council's vote on Friday=
, the planning committee dropped its suit. The law allows for the mayor t=
o redistribute the money, said Frank Covello, the Ryan White group's atto=
rney. Torres said charities can apply for a portion of the $256,000, and =
he will present a resolution to council as soon as possible.
CALIFORNIA:=20
=93Olympic Athletes, Celebrities Compete in Nautica Malibu Triathlon=94
Associated Press (09.19.04)
The 18th annual Nautica Malibu Triathlon held on Sunday raised over =
$268,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Competitors =
included several Olympic athletes =97 swimming champion Amanda Beard, med=
alist Larsen Jensen and silver medalist Michellie Jones. Celebrity partic=
ipants included =93NYPD Blue=94 actor Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Los Angeles Co=
unty Sheriff Lee Baca, Tate Donovan of =93The O.C.,=94 actors Dan Metcalf=
e and David Duchovny, and news personality David Ono. FOX Sports Net will=
televise the event on Oct. 16. =20
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