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.
"Needle Exchange Advocated for Canada's Prisons"
Lancet (11/27/99) Vol. 354, No. 9193, P. 1887; Kondro, Wayne
A study on prisons in Canada has recommended that a needle
exchange program may be necessary in the nation's jails.
According to the Correctional Service report, "One significant
advantage of a needle and syringe exchange program in a prison
setting is that old, damaged, and home-made syringes that have
the potential to harbor pathogens will be removed from
circulation." The researchers estimated that one-third of
Canada's inmates carry hepatitis C, with rates of HIV infection
also very high. The team said it has "no confidence" that
distributing bleach alone will lower infection rates resulting
from contaminated needles used for tattoos, body piercing, or
injecting drugs.
Washington Times (12/07/99) P. A3
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is warning students,
teachers, and coaches to be aware of the risk of contracting
hepatitis from blood exposure during and after sporting events.
The AAP had previously issued a similar warning about HIV, and
the group's revised policy statement includes warnings for
hepatitis B and C. According to the AAP, anyone who could be
exposed to athletes' blood should be vaccinated against hepatitis
B, and athletes should be warned not to share such personal
products as razors and toothbrushes.
Reuters (12/06/99)
An annual report from the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and
Public Health shows that the death rate in the United States hit
a record low and life expectancy hit a new high in 1998. The
average life span was 76.7 years, a 0.2 percent increase. The
report noted the death rate last year was 470.8 deaths per
100,000 people, in large part because of declines in mortality
from AIDS, homicide, and suicide. Infant mortality for 1998 was
7.2 for every 1,000 live births, but that figure still does not
compare well with other developed nations' lower rates.
New York Times (12/07/99) P. D8
Many healthcare workers' worst job-related fear is being
accidentally infected with HIV, hepatitis, or another disease
through a needle stick injury. About 600,000 to 800,000 workers
a year are accidentally stuck with needles, but infection occurs
infrequently. Contracting hepatitis B is the greatest danger,
with up to a 30 percent risk of infection from needle stick
injuries. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently
issued guidelines to protect healthcare workers from such
incidents and recommends the elimination of needles as much as
possible. The institute's guidelines are available on the
Internet, at www.cdc.gov/niosh.
"Letter to the Editor: Challenging a Theory"
New York Times (12/07/99) P. D3; Plotkin, Stanley A.; Koprowski,
Hilary
In a letter to the editor of the Science Times section of the New
York Times, two researchers respond to a November 30 article,
"New Book Challenges Theories of AIDS Origin." The book presents
the hypothesis that HIV was first transmitted to humans during
initial large-scale tests of an oral polio vaccine that used
chimpanzee cells. In their letter, Dr. Stanley A. Plotkin, an
emeritus professor of pediatrics at the University of
Pennsylvania, and Dr. Hilary Koprowski, a professor of
microbiology and immunology at Thomas Jefferson University, note
that they conducted the African trials in question; however, they
state that no chimpanzee tissues were used in the production of
the vaccine. The authors suggest that the new book may "increase
the concerns in Africa about the safety of polio vaccines, and
indeed of other badly needed vaccines."
Las Vegas Sun Online (12/06/99)
The United Nations has launched a plan to lower HIV infections
among Africans aged 14 to 25 by 25 percent before the year 2005.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan called on Monday for a greater
international response to the AIDS problem in Africa. Annan
noted that Africa's economies and work force were being affected
by high numbers of AIDS deaths; however, he also praised actions
taken in Namibia and Uganda to help reduce infection levels.
"Health Tips: Condoms Appear Best School Option"
United Press International (12/07/99); Manning, Elizabeth
A committee of the American Medical Association has concluded
that school programs that promote abstinence for teenagers are
"of limited value," while programs that hand out free condoms
help to reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.
The report also found that safer sex programs show potential in
changing students' attitudes and behaviors. The committee also
found that school-based condom availability programs do not
encourage teens to have sex sooner. More research is still
needed to better understand the conditions that encourage greater
condom use.
Reuters Health Information Services (12/06/99)
Researchers from the AIDS Clinical Trial Group Protocol 076 Study
Group investigated the impact of antepartum or intrapartum risk
factors on HIV-1 transmission in women who were taking
zidovudine. The team determined that maternal weight and other
factors that raise the risk of fetal exposure to maternal blood
or vaginal secretions increase the risk of HIV-1 transmission
from mother to infant in women treated with zidovudine during
pregnancy. Among the women taking zidovudine, those with higher
weight at the start of the study had a greater risk of HIV-1
transmission, according to the report in the December issue of
Obstetrics and Gynecology. The findings indicate that the
effectiveness of zidovudine prophylaxis was lower when there were
intrapartum risk factors for transmission; but the researchers
also point out that the study had certain limitations, such as
the fact that the 076 study was not designed to investigate the
impact of risk factors of HIV transmission.
San Jose Mercury News (12/07/99); Kwan, Joshua L.
Many blood banks in California are finding themselves unable to
keep up financially with the demands for blood and new tests
required to ensure a safe blood supply. Blood banks have been
forced to spend money on recruiting new donors, and required
screening tests are raising expenses. Three San Francisco-area
blood banks are operating with losses ranging from $75,000 to
$4.5 million this year. If new genetic tests for hepatitis C and
HIV are added, costs will rise even higher. Some banks have
responded to the financial difficulties by reducing the number of
employees, scaling down mobile collection, and centralizing
storage.
Reuters (12/06/99)
Digene Corp. has been cleared by the Food and Drug Administration
to market its Hybrid Capturer II Gonorrhea Test for detecting
Neisseria gonorrhea DNA in cervical samples. The test is for
women, either with or without symptoms, and will detect one of
the most common sexually transmitted bacteria.