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.
Archives of Internal Medicine Online (11/08/99) Vol. 159, No. 20,
P. 2430; Cohen, Frances; Kemeny, Margaret E.; Kearney, Kathleen A.;
et al.
Researchers sought to determine whether short-term or persistent
psychological stress or negative moods are indicators of genital
herpes recurrences in women. The study involved 58 women between
the ages of 20 and 44 who had a history of one to 10 years of
visible genital herpes recurrence, with at least one episode
during the last six months. The results showed that persistent
stressors did predict recurrence, while short-term ones did not.
Boston Globe Online (11/18/99) P. A19
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade
Commission cautioned Wednesday that unapproved home test kits for
HIV may be inaccurate. Only one home test kit has been approved,
the Home Access Express HIV Test System from Home Access Health
Corp. While the Home Access kit requires patients to take a
blood sample at home and then mail it to a laboratory for
testing, the agencies noted that other kits promise rapid results
with saliva or blood from a finger prick. The results of these
unapproved home test kits may not be accurate, the FDA warned.
"Israeli Official's Plan to Limit Condom Ads Sparks Criticism"
CNN Interactive Online (11/17/99)
Israeli Health Minister Shlomo Benizri plans to prohibit AIDS
awareness ads that feature pictures of condoms. The
ultra-Orthodox rabbi claims the safe sex message can be made
without pictures of condoms, which embarrass people. A report in
the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that Benizri ordered ministry
workers to remove pictures of condoms from the ministry's
advertising campaign for World AIDS Day on Dec. 1. Although the
plan is not yet final, the decision has drawn protest from
physicians who say it could endanger the fight against AIDS. "It
is impossible to wage war against AIDS without condoms, without
speaking about condoms, without showing condoms," said Zvi
Bentwich, head of clinical immunology at Rehovot's Kaplan
Hospital.
New York Times (11/18/99) P. A23; Richardson, Lynda
The Girl Scouts have settled a complaint that claimed the
organization excluded a nine-year-old girl from several troops in
New York because she has HIV. While the group admitted no
wrongdoing, the Scouts agreed not to bar girls in similar
situations in the future.
Atlanta Journal and Constitution (11/18/99) P. 1 JR; Rowe,
Salome G.
The teenage pregnancy rate in Rockdale County, Georgia, is
increasing again, according to a new report. The number of
pregnancies was 154 in 1997, which is up from the 145 pregnancies
recorded in 1996, but not near the peak of 190 in 1995. A
syphilis outbreak among area teenagers in 1996 exposed a youth
culture full of sex with multiple partners and drug and alcohol
abuse. Mary Goodwin, an epidemiologist with the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention, notes that several factors
contribute to teenage pregnancy, including teens not considering
the consequences of unprotected sex, peer pressure, and social
mores that promote sex before marriage.
"Conference on HIV/AIDS"
Washington Post--District Weekly (11/18/99) P. DC 3
In Washington, D.C., the Whitman-Walker Clinic and Shiloh Baptist
Church Family Life Center Foundation will host a three-day
conference on HIV/AIDS and the African-American community. The
conference, which begins today, will include a satellite
broadcast of "HIV Prevention and Faith Community and Communities
of Color," presented by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
Reuters Health Information Services (11/17/99)
New research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School
in Worcester reveals that 75 percent of homeless and low-income
housed mothers interviewed said they had no or low risk of
contracting HIV. The researchers interviewed 436 homeless and
low-income mothers in the area and found that nearly 40 percent
of them are at high risk for HIV. The women tended to
underestimate their risk, even though they had knowledge about
risk practices associated with HIV. The researchers, who report
their findings in the November issue of the Journal of Family
Practice, assert that HIV prevention efforts should be directed
to these groups.
Charleston Post and Courier (11/17/99) P. B4
Officials in South Carolina plan to launch next month a program
to help protect healthcare workers from exposure to hepatitis C
virus (HCV). In addition, the state's Department of Health and
Environmental Control plans to work with area health departments
next year to offer patients HCV prevention, testing, and
counseling services. The state records between 100 and 150 cases
of HCV every week.
"County Commissioners Vote to Support World AIDS Day"
Houston Chronicle (11/17/99) P. A28; Zuniga, Jo Ann
In Texas, the Harris County Commissioners Court passed a
resolution in support of World AIDS Day on Dec. 1, after learning
AIDS is considered a "medical emergency" in the region. A report
from the Ryan White Planning Council shows that nearly two-thirds
of new HIV infections are among African Americans, accounting for
more than 300 of 494 new infections reported in Harris County in
the first half of 1999. Gary Van Ooteghem, who presented the
report, said that risky behavior such as unprotected sex or
injection drug use was to blame for the increasing number of
cases. Ooteghem noted that a lack of AIDS prevention education
programs is one weak area in the county.