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.
Journal of the American Medical Association (01/12/00) Vol. 283,
No. 2, P. 205; Descamps, Diane; Flandre, Philippe; Calvez,
Vincent; et al.
Researchers for the Trilege (Agence Nationale de Recherches sur
le SIDA 072) Study Team sought to identify mechanisms of
virologic failure in the three arms of the Trilege trial, which
was stopped in December 1997. The participants included 58 case
patients with virologic failure, placed in three therapy groups.
The categories were triple drug, zidovudine-lamivudine, and
zidovudine-indinavir. After testing for genotypic resistance and
adherence rates, the researchers found that virologic failure in
the maintenance phase of the Trilege trial was not associated
with zidovudine or indinavir resistance mutations. Overall, the
results reveal that treatment adherence needs to be investigated
in virologic failure before starting a new therapy.
Nature Medicine (12/99) Vol. 5, No. 12, P. 1428; Li, Hong-Chuan;
Fujiyoshi, Toshinobu; Lou, Hong; et al.
The natural history of human T-cell lymphotropic virus type 1
(HTLV-1) infection has been further developed through the
analysis of the HTLV-1 provirus of DNA found in Andean mummies
approximately 1,500 years old. Using two of the mummy bone
marrow specimens, scientists found that the DNA sequences show
that the virus was carried by ancient Mongoloids to the Andes.
The researchers also believe that the frequency of HTLV-1
carriers in ancient Andeans was very high, and more experiments
are being done to identify human DNA sequences. The origin of
HTLV-1 was determined with the help of a sequence taken from
mummies in San Pedro de Atacama.
"Joining the AIDS Fight in Africa"
New York Times (01/12/00) P. A26; Berkley, Seth
In a letter to the editor of the New York Times, Seth Berkley,
head of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, commends Vice
President Al Gore's recognition of AIDS as a "security crisis" as
well as the new funding the United States has dedicated to
fighting the disease. However, Berkley notes that world leaders
need to "recognize that an affordable AIDS vaccine is the best
long-term hope for ending this epidemic." According to Berkley,
the United Nations Security Council's focus on AIDS may help to
foster international public-private partnerships, associations
that are necessary to fund AIDS vaccine studies.
Boston Globe Online (01/11/00); Nelson, Craig
In Kenya, many people lack education regarding AIDS, and
superstition has also hindered prevention efforts. Healthcare
workers in the Nairobi slum of Kibera note, for example, that
some Kenyans believe that condoms are ineffective because they
have tiny holes in them. The United States announced this week
$150 million in additional funding to help fight HIV in Africa.
Education is the key, as condoms are often not accepted as safe
nor used consistently. In Kibera, youths turn to sex as their
only pleasure, because books are too expensive and there are no
playing grounds for sports. Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi
declared AIDS a national disaster in October, but mismanagement
of the Kenyan treasury has left little money for AIDS prevention
or treatment.
South China Morning Post Online (01/12/00); Watkin, Huw
Health officials in Vietnam are warning that economic refugees
who have moved from rural areas to urban centers may hinder
efforts to stem the spread of HIV. According to the Vietnam News
Agency, there are nearly 250,000 unregistered migrants in Hanoi,
a city of about 2.7 million people. Officials are concerned that
high rates of unemployment may prompt some female migrants to
become prostitutes. Furthermore, studies show that rural
migrants are at high risk of contracting sexually transmitted
diseases because of their low levels of education. A report from
Hanoi's Reproductive Health Research Institute and AIDS Committee
noted that about two-thirds of the migrants use condoms, but many
have extramarital sex, while factors like temporary housing
conditions and a lack of information sources also contributed to
their high risk status. The rural migration to Hanoi has no easy
solution as the economic gap between rural and urban parts of
Vietnam continues to worsen.
Reuters Health Information Services (01/11/00)
New research from Australian scientists suggests that
granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) may be
useful in fighting Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in
patients with HIV. The study, published in the January issue of
the Journal of Infectious Diseases (2000;181:390-94), involved
the quantification of in vitro phagocytosis activity of
monocyte-derived macrophages using a flow cytometric assay. The
researchers found that GM-CSF was associated with a reduction of
MAC bacteremia.
Reuters (01/11/00)
Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi announced Tuesday that Japan
will give 2.5 billion yen, or $24 million, to Cambodia, one of
the poorest nation's in Asia. Nearly a third of those funds will
be used to build new facilities at Cambodia's national
tuberculosis (TB) center and to improve a national highway. TB
takes the lives of about 10,000 people each year in Cambodia.
Reuters (01/12/00); Stoddard, Ed
South Africa is a hot market prospect this year for investment,
but the country needs more foreign direct investment to reduce
its poverty and unemployment. Investors must also take into
account the AIDS epidemic in the country and the high levels of
crime. South Africa has one of the highest HIV rates worldwide.
"Americans Support Public Health Spending"
Nation's Health (01/00) Vol. 29, No. 11, P. 32
A recent Harris poll shows that Americans favor healthcare that
spends more on prevention and health promotion and relatively
less for treatment. According to the survey, 91 percent of the
survey respondents said that the prevention of infectious
diseases like tuberculosis, measles, influenza, and HIV was "very
important." In addition, 88 percent said that conducting medical
research into the causes and prevention of diseases was "very
important," while 87 percent considered immunization a key issue.