The CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention provides the following information as a public service only. Providing synopses of key scientific articles and lay media reports on HIV/AIDS, other sexually transmitted diseases and tuberculosis does not constitute CDC endorsement. This daily update also includes information from CDC and other government agencies, such as background on Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) articles, fact sheets, press releases, and announcements. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC HIV/STD/TB Prevention News Update should be cited as the source of the information. Contact the sources of the articles abstracted below for full texts of the articles.
Science (www.sciencemag.org) (08/11/00) Vol. 289, No. 5481, P.
845; Hagmann, Michael
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has made several large
donations for health studies recently. These include $40 million
for the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine to study
malaria, $44.7 million for the Harvard Medical School for
tuberculosis (TB), $20 million to Johns Hopkins School of Public
Health for child and maternal health, and $90 million for
HIV/AIDS-related studies at a number of institutions. Jim Yong
Kim of Harvard Medical School--working with the World Health
Organization, local health officials, and others--will be
investigating a treatment program for multidrug-resistant TB
patients in Peru.
"President Urges Nigeria to Fight Tyranny of AIDS"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (08/28/00) P. A1; Lacey, Marc
President Clinton, in his visit to Nigeria this week, has
urged the country to confront AIDS and overcome taboos. This is a
challenge not just for Nigeria but for all of Africa, which has
been slow to educate its people about AIDS and the virus that
causes the disease. Clinton said, "We have to break the silence
about how this disease spreads and how to prevent it. And we
need to fight AIDS, not people with AIDS." Clinton offered
American support for Nigeria's battle against AIDS, but he did
not offer any new funding. He did, however, discuss the $20
million the United States is providing to control AIDS, malaria,
and polio in Nigeria this year. Clinton stated that freedom for
Nigeria would come only after infectious diseases are controlled.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo also urged debt relief for
his country. He noted, "We don't see [AIDS] as a Nigerian
disease. We see it as a world disease that is ravaging Africa
most." According to the White House, approximately 5.4 percent
of Nigeria's 114 million people are infected with HIV.
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (08/28/00) P. A9;
Gugliotta, Guy
Evidence from recently excavated medieval skulls in England
suggest that syphilis existed in Europe before Columbus returned
from the New World. Syphilis is said to have spread from
Barcelona to all of Europe after 1493, and Europe has considered
it an American disease from the start. However, archaeologists
have uncovered three skulls in Hull, England, which show lesions
associated with third-stage syphilis. The friary church in Hull
held 245 skeletons, with at least 12 having significant lesions,
according to University of Bradford paleopathologist Anthea
Boylston. Myron Cohen, director of the University of North
Carolina's Center of Infectious Diseases, stated that the
discovery does not end the debate. The spirochete microorganism
that causes syphilis is identical to the childhood diseases yaws
and bejel, and can be transmitted from mother to fetus, causing
birth defects like blindness. The folklore of syphilis has
always centered on promiscuity; but in the Middle Ages, people
died from other causes before syphilis could reach its last
stage. A single shot of penicillin can kill the disease if given
before the third stage. The skeletons at Hull date to between
1300 and 1450, but it is unknown if the disease was endemic or
epidemic. If endemic syphilis was found in Europe before
Columbus, the question is when it became a sexually transmitted
disease.
"Agency Asks Longtime HIV Patients [in Florida] to Get Retested"
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel (www.sun-sentinel.com) (08/26/00) P.
8B; LaMendola, Bob
Center One, a nonprofit group in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
is asking people who have been HIV-positive for many years to get
retested as part of an effort to secure more federal grants.
Center One believes that estimates of HIV infection in the region
could leave out thousands of patients who tested positive years
ago. Broward County could gain hundreds of thousands of dollars
in funding if the numbers are too low, claims John Weatherhead,
the executive director of Center One. While the state has always
counted AIDS patients for funding purposes, it only began
counting HIV patients three years ago. People who tested
positive before July 1997 and who have not developed AIDS are not
counted for the grants, according to Weatherhead.
Reuters Health Information Services (www.reutershealth.com)
(08/25/00)
Dr. Gabriel Torres of Bentley-Salick Medical Practice in
New York City is leading a pilot program to give nonoccupational
postexposure prophylaxis to patients at high risk for HIV,
including gay and bisexual men, minorities, women, and injection
drug users. The program provides rapid HIV testing, screening
for sexually transmitted diseases, antiviral therapy, risk
counseling and referrals for drug treatment. Dr. Torres stated
the program is customized for the individual, and that if the
patient is resistant to the medications or suspected to be, a new
treatment is given. A total of 28 people have enrolled in the
program.
"Tuberculosis Case Leads to Skin Tests at El Modena"
Los Angeles Times (www.latimes.com) (08/26/00) P. B3; Richardson,
Lisa
A student at El Modena High School in Los Angeles, California,
has been diagnosed with active tuberculosis (TB). The Orange
County Health Care Agency will perform precautionary skin tests
at the school, contacting everyone close to the teenager. El
Modena parents and students have been sent letters about the
testing program. A chest X-ray will be given if the skin test is
positive. Dr. Penny Weismuller, TB controller for the Health
Care Agency, noted, "It is important to remember that TB is a
curable disease and treatable with modern medicine." Each year,
the county deals with about 300 cases of active TB.
Atlanta Journal-Constitution (www.accessatlanta.com) (08/27/00)
P. 5B
Over 50 South African doctors have been accused of testing
patients for HIV without their knowledge or consent, and then
giving the results to the individuals' employers. According to a
report in the Saturday Star newspaper, most of the patients were
not counseled about HIV, and tests results were often given only
to the employer.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. News (www.abc.net.au) (08/28/00)
According to a report from Radio Australia News, HIV is spreading
throughout Papua New Guinea, threatening all parts of society.
Health Minister Ludger Mond said the country has recorded 2,800
confirmed HIV cases, 1,031 cases of AIDS, and 232 AIDS-related
deaths. Mond asserted, however, that the actual number of HIV
cases could be much higher, with significant increases in
infections in Western Highlands, Simbu, and Western Provinces.
Reuters (www.reuters.com) (08/25/00); Beasley, Deena
China has approved Calypte Biomedical Corp.'s urine test for
HIV-1. The urine test measures IgA antibody levels and does not
require a blood sample or medical training to take. The test
reduces the risk of accidental needle sticks and also does not
require refrigeration. According to Toby Gottfried, director of
research and development at Calypte, the urine test costs more
than a blood test; however, it will save money in the long run
because no one needs to be trained to draw blood or dispose of
syringes.