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.
New England Journal of Medicine (www.nejm.org) (02/24/00) Vol.
342, No. 8, P. 534; Carey, J. Christopher; Klebanoff, Mark A.;
Hauth, John C.; et al.
Researchers for the National Institute of Child Health and Human
Development Network of Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units investigated
the effectiveness of metronidazole in preventing preterm delivery
in women who have asymptomatic bacterial vaginosis, a condition
that has been connected to preterm birth. The women
participating in the study were given eight capsules of either
250 mg of metronidazole each or a lactose placebo, to be ingested
in front of study personnel. The women received eight additional
capsules to be taken 48 hours later. Two more doses were
administered 24 to less than 30 weeks gestation. Information on
delivery was available for 953 of the women treated with
metronidazole and 966 women who were given the placebo. Of the
women in the metronidazole group, 116 women had their babies
early, compared to 121 women in the placebo group who experienced
preterm delivery. In addition to not preventing delivery before
32 weeks, treatment with metronidazole did not reduce the
occurrence of preterm deliveries caused by spontaneous labor or
spontaneous rupture. Incidents of preterm labor, intraamniotic
or postpartum infections, neonatal sepsis, or admission of the
infant to the neonatal intensive care unit were also not reduced
with treatment.
USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (03/07/00) P. 9D
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia report
that combining the rabies virus with a part of HIV makes an HIV
vaccine that appears to work in mice. The findings are
promising, although any possible human trials of such a technique
are long off. The new approach, reported in the Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences, should be more useful than
killed or weakened virus vaccines, the authors said. They also
noted that rabies does not seem able to mix with other viruses
like HIV can.
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (03/07/00) P. A8
A new report reveals that an intensive treatment program for
tuberculosis (TB) has saved over 40,000 lives in India, reaching
cure rates of more than 80 percent. An estimated 2 million
Indians develop TB every year.
U.S. Newswire (03/03/00)
An international team of scientists has developed a new method
for detecting tuberculosis (TB), called microscopic observation
broth-drug susceptibility assay (MODS). The test is inexpensive
and can detect small amounts of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis
bacillus, according to a report in March's Journal of Clinical
Microbiology (2000;38;1203-1208). The MODS assay is fast and
specific, according to Robert Gilman, a professor at Johns
Hopkins School of Public Health, and effective for use in rural,
poor areas. Gilman also noted the test, which was studied in
Peru, can identify drug-resistant strains of TB.
Reuters Health Information Services (03/06/00); Stern, Penny
A new study details a case of apparent nurse-to-patient HIV
transmission in France. A French-Belgian research team report
that a female surgical patient in suburban Paris developed HIV
after one of two night nurses unknowingly infected her. The
woman had no known risk factors for HIV, but an analysis of HIV
from the nurses showed one as the likely source. According to
the report in the Journal of Virology (2000;74:2525-2532), it is
not known how the nurse, who was unaware of her HIV status until
just weeks before the patient returned to the hospital with
symptoms of HIV, transmitted the virus to the patient.
"Health: STD Levels in India/Bangladesh Point to AIDS Explosion"
IPS Wire (03/06/00)
High levels of sexually transmitted diseases in India and
Bangladesh could accelerate the pace of the expected HIV/AIDS
explosion in South Asia, according to UNAIDS head Dr. Peter Piot.
On Monday, Piot helped launch the "2000 World AIDS Campaign,"
which is focusing on the attitudes and behaviors of men. Piot
said that India, with 3.7 million cases, has the most HIV
infections in the world, out of a population of 1 billion.
However, the low HIV prevalence is not expected to last because
of low condom use among commercial sex workers and men's
infidelity to their wives. The secrecy and stigma of HIV,
related to extramarital affairs, has forced many men to keep the
virus secret from their wives. Males in South Asia have great
control over women, although Piot was careful not to blame all
men for the spread of HIV in Asia. The new campaign, which
carries the theme "Men Can Make a Difference," will urge men to
have better sexual health and to take leadership in protecting
their wives and daughters.
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (03/07/00) P. D8
A new study led by Dr. Carolyn Halpern of the University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill shows that adolescents who score higher
on intelligence tests are less likely to engage in sexual
intercourse, kissing, or holding hands than other teens.
However, among students over age 15, those who scored low on the
test scale were just as likely as those in the upper percentile
to abstain from sex. The study, published in the Journal of
Adolescent Health (2000;26:213-225), used data from a national
survey of 12,000 teenagers and more detailed information on 300
North Carolina teens.
San Francisco Chronicle Online (www.sfgate.com) (03/05/00) P.
1/Z1; Wright, Kai
In South Africa, HIV infects one in eight people, with an
estimated 1,600 infections daily. Nearby Botswana, Namibia,
Swaziland, and Zimbabwe also have high rates of infection. One
obstacle to changing the HIV demographics in Africa is ending the
stigma associated with the virus. The Clinton administration has
proposed a boost in foreign assistance, from $112 million last
year to $325 million in 2001, to help Africa start more AIDS
programs. However, the money will not help without an attack on
the stigma of HIV, which causes many people to keep their
infection status secret. Because of this secrecy, the
stigmatization cannot end and discourages testing for HIV. The
1998 murder of Gugu Dlamini, who openly announced she had HIV
during a World AIDS Day event, has scared many South Africans
into concealing their HIV infection. In KwaZulu-Natal, AIDS
activist Mercy Makhalemele founded a group for people with AIDS,
where people can come to confide their HIV status and publicly
disclose it. Makhalemele, who halted the disclosure campaign
following Dlamini's murder, is now focusing on the upcoming world
AIDS conference in July, attempting to raise funding and forge
global partnerships with HIV and AIDS patients.
"Scope of Flood Disaster Grows Daily"
USA Today (www.usatoday.com) (03/07/00) P. 15A; Walt, Vivienne
The severe flooding in Mozambique is aggravating the spread of
disease. In the country of about 19 million people, about 1.8
million are infected with HIV, and malaria and tuberculosis are
also running rampant. According to Lindsay Davies, a spokeswoman
for the World Food Program, "This is a hotbed for disease to grow
and multiply," as the contaminated floodwaters and rising
temperatures continue to take their toll.
Infectious Diseases in Children (www.slackinc.com/idc.htm)
(02/00) Vol. 13, No. 2, P. 66
A new law signed by New Jersey Gov. Christine Whitman requires
the use of needle stick safety devices, joining California,
Maryland, Texas, and Tennessee, which have similar measures.
Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration advise making
needle stick safety devices mandatory in U.S. hospitals. Each
year, needle stick injuries expose up to 1 million health workers
to diseases like HIV and hepatitis B or C.