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.
American Journal of Public Health (01/00) Vol. 90, No. 1, P. 115;
Diamond, Catherine; Buskin, Susan
New research indicates that both adolescents and adults continue
to engage in risky activities even after they were diagnosed with
HIV. Researchers from the University of Washington School of
Public Health and the Seattle-King County Department of Public
Health reviewed data for more than 3,000 HIV-infected youths and
adults in an effort to describe and compared the risk behaviors
of the two groups. The data was obtained from the Seattle-King
County Adult/Adolescent Spectrum of HIV-Related Diseases Study,
conducted between January 1990 and February 1998. The results
show that both female and male youths were over two times as
likely as adults to engage in risky behavior, including engaging
in unsafe sex and sharing injection drug paraphernalia. The
authors note, however, that both the youths and the adults
participated in risky activities after HIV diagnosis, showing the
need for public health campaigns targeting individuals infected
with HIV as well as those at risk for HIV/AIDS.
"Gore Vows AIDS Initiative"
Washington Post (01/11/00) P. A11; Lynch, Colum
Vice President Al Gore pledged on Monday to seek $150 million
from Congress to combat HIV and other infectious diseases in
Africa and Asia, noting that AIDS is as significant a threat to
global security as war. If approved, the new funds would raise
the total for fighting AIDS overseas to $325 million. The
funding would mostly go towards sub-Saharan Africa, where AIDS is
the leading cause of death. At the meeting of the United Nations
Security Council, Namibian health minister Libertine Amathila and
others warned that AIDS is ruining national health budgets in
Africa. Amathila noted, "Africa has the least access to drugs
but the greatest access to arms." Vice President Gore also
reported that the White House plans to request $50 million from
Congress to finance research and to buy and distribute drugs that
attack other major killers, including tuberculosis, hepatitis B,
and yellow fever.
Reuters (01/10/00)
President Clinton has proposed spending an extra $20 million in
2001 to battle infectious diseases and to form a national
electronic disease surveillance network. The new network, which
would allow for rapid transmission of information from doctors
to state health departments, is being created by the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention. In a fact sheet detailing the
plan, the White House noted that there has been substantial
improvement in the United States' ability to identify outbreaks
of infectious diseases, although diseases like AIDS and toxic
shock syndrome still pose serious health threats. If approved by
Congress, the additional funding would add to the CDC's existing
budget of $44.3 million for the project.
New York Times (01/11/00) P. A14; Greenhouse, Linda
The U.S. Supreme Court has refused to hear an appeal against an
insurance company's cap on lifetime benefits for AIDS treatment.
Policies from Mutual of Omaha give maximum benefits at $25,000 or
$100,000, not $1 million or more as provided for non-AIDS-related
conditions. The limit on benefits was challenged by two
HIV-infected policyholders who had won a 1998 decision in Chicago
that was overturned last summer. The appeals court ruled that
while the Americans with Disabilities Act ensures access to
insurance, it does not regulate the content of insurance
policies.
New York Times (01/11/00) P. D7; Chiles, Nick
In the early 1900s, immigrants entering the United States were
inspected at places like Ellis Island for signs of coughing or
other illness. If tuberculosis (TB) was suspected and the
disease had not progressed too much, they were sent back home.
X-rays were used after 1910 to be sure of a diagnosis during a
time when tuberculosis was highly feared. Today, TB is once
again causing fear among public health experts, as TB rates
increase in developing nations and immigration rates from those
countries has never been higher. While the circumstances now are
different from the early 1900s, when officials had to make
diagnoses in a matter of seconds and effective antibiotics and
treatments were not available for many diseases, today there are other
concerns, including AIDS and drug-resistant TB. Thousands of
immigrants enter the country without medical screening, bringing
TB, skin infections, and colds. Borders have become easier to
cross, and TB rates among the foreign-born population are high.
For individuals born in the United States, the rate of TB is
about five cases per 100,000 people, compared to about 30 per
100,000 among foreign-born individuals in the country.
Reuters Health Information Services (01/10/00)
Researchers, led by Dr. Ana Puri of the National Cancer
Institute, have found that influenza infection raises the
susceptibility of cells to infection by HIV-1 isolates that use
the CXCR4 coreceptor. The team, which reported its findings in
the January 1 issue of AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses
(2000;16:19-25), conducted an in vitro study to determine the
impact of the influenza strain A/PR/8 on HIV-1's replicative
ability. The researchers conclude that the influenza virus
increases CXCR4 expression and thus influences HIV-1 infection.
Africa News Service (01/10/00)
Twelve African countries--including Ethiopia, Kenya, South
Africa, and Uganda--will receive additional fiscal year 2000
funding under President Clinton's LIFE (Leadership and Investment
Fighting an Epidemic) initiative, according to the U.S. Agency
for International Development (USAID). The money is given based
on the governments' commitment to stopping the spread of HIV and
will be used for prevention efforts. The funds will also support
those sick with AIDS, help children orphaned by the disease,
treat pregnant women with HIV/AIDS, and help build health
infrastructure in the countries. Since 1986, USAID has given
over $1.2 billion to help fight AIDS in the developing world.
IPS Wire (01/10/00)
AIDS is the chief cause of death among Congolese Armed Forces
servicemen, of whom 14 percent are infected with HIV, according
to armed forces health officials. AIDS caused over 60 percent of
army deaths between 1989 and 1993, according to Col. Prosper
Kinzonzi, director of the First Military Zone's health service.
The armed forces are at risk because they travel, are young, and
are sexually active. Kinzonzi lists unsafe commercial sex is key
cause of the rise in AIDS cases in the military. Rape is also a
factor in the increase, as sexual violence becomes more common
among soldiers.
American Medical News (12/27/99) Vol. 42, No. 48, P. 29; Stapleton,
Stephanie
The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates has
asked its Council on Scientific Affairs to study the use of the
Pap smear, the limitations of the test, and the effects of
false-negative test results. The action came in response to the
request from numerous healthcare professionals that the AMA have
guidelines to review Pap smears in terms of potential legal
action. The AMA Board of Trustees reports that there has been a
substantial increase in lawsuits filed based on false-negative
Pap test results. In some areas, a false-negative result is
considered proof of substandard care, ignoring the fact that no
test is 100 percent accurate. While the AMA realizes Pap smears
have decreased cervical cancer mortality rates, the group noted
there are concerns about supporting the type of liability
protection in question. Currently, no guidelines have been set.