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.
Vaccine Online (01/21/00) Vol. 18, No. 13, P. 1210; Gregorek,
Hanna; Woynarowski, Marek; Mikolajewicz, Jolanta; et al.
Researchers from Children's Memorial Health Center Institute in
Warsaw, Poland, studied the IgG profiles of anti-HBs antibodies
in children who had been vaccinated against hepatitis B virus
(HBV) or who seroconverted after natural infection. Included in
the study were 30 children who had recovered from acute hepatitis
B virus (HBV) infection and 40 children vaccinated against HBV.
According to the researchers, the findings reveal that HBV
vaccination at a younger age causes the production of antibody
subclasses that are more useful for neutralizing the virus.
Children over age five showed high individual variability in
their immune responses.
USA Today (02/04/00) P. 10A
Healthcare for inmates in New York is inconsistent and served by
undertrained doctors, according to a new report from the
Correctional Association of New York. The study recommends that
doctors in prisons be board-certified and that there be
improvements made in HIV prevention and testing programs.
Houston Chronicle Online (02/03/00); Hopper, Leigh
New research from the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB)
in Galveston shows the reason why oral sex is unsafe as a way to
avoid HIV. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reported this week that oral sex was likely the source of 6.6
percent of recent HIV infections among a group of homosexual men
studied in San Francisco. Saliva has low enough saltiness to
destroy infected blood cells, but semen and breast milk are seven
times saltier than saliva, allowing infected blood cells to live,
according to Dr. Samuel Baron, a professor at UTMB and the lead
author of the new study. Baron explained that blood cells need a
salty environment to live, so that saliva's benefits become
reduced when semen is added in large enough amounts.
Transmission of HIV can occur in the gums, tongue, esophagus, or
tonsils, said the researchers, who now trying to develop a gel to
prevent the sexual transmission of HIV by copying the protective
nature of saliva.
Reuters (02/03/00); Reaney, Patricia
Cancer experts stated Thursday that behavior changes, vaccines,
and early detection are the best ways to curb the cancer epidemic
that is expected in the near future. Cancer kills 6 million
people a year, and diet and alcohol are involved in about 5
percent of cases; smoking plays a role in as much as 31 percent
of cancer cases. Experts at the first World Summit Against
Cancer noted that early screening for breast, cervical, colon,
and prostate cancer is also important. Dr. Harold zur Hausen,
the director of the German Cancer Research Center in Heidelberg,
added that prevention and global vaccine programs for diseases
associated with cancer, such as hepatitis B, are among the best
ways to stop cancer's global spread.
Washington Times (02/04/00) P. C3; Mizejewski, Gerald
In Prince George's County, Maryland, Councilman Thomas Hendershot
has introduced legislation that would use existing unused state
and federal money to support a needle exchange program. The
program would be similar to one in Baltimore, where a needle
exchange has reduced HIV transmission via contaminated needles by
35 percent. The Maryland General Assembly approved a needle
exchange program in Prince George's County, which has the
second-highest AIDS rate in the state, two years ago; however,
the plan was never implemented on the local level. Under
Hendershot's measure, there would be a one-for-one exchange of
used hypodermic needles through a plan approved by the county
health officer and the Board of Health.
Reuters Health Information Services (02/03/00); Mitchell, Deborah
Findings presented at the Seventh Conference on Retroviruses and
Opportunistic Infections by Dr. Calvin Cohen suggest that
choosing antiretroviral drugs based on the results of phenotypic
HIV resistance testing allows for better viral suppression
compared to treatment decisions based on the current standard of
care. Dr. Cohen, of the Community Research Initiative of New
England, and colleagues studied 111 patients whose drug regimens
were determined by the Virco Antivirogram assay and 107 whose
treatments were determined by the current standard care. The
16-week study showed that more drug changes were made in the
regimens of those subjects in the phenotypic group. The
preliminary findings reveal that virologic outcome is improved
when doctors use such testing to alter treatment for patients.
Reuters Health Information Services (02/03/00); Mitchell, Deborah
At the Seventh Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic
Infections, researchers reported the discontinuation of highly
active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in four HIV patients
followed by therapeutic vaccination and interruption of therapy.
Two of the patients who were vaccinated with ALVAC 1452 and
recombinant gp160 and then discontinued HAART had a delayed viral
rebound and increases in cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity. The
other two patients experienced a rapid viral rebound. The
findings support the idea that successful HAART therapy followed
by therapeutic vaccination can help immune responses delay HIV
rebound.
Washington Post (02/04/00) P. C11; Mann, Judy
Diseases that have been conquered in developed countries still
plague less developed ones, with 2 billion people still living in
19th century health conditions, according to Nils Daulaire, head
of the Global Health Council. Furthermore, drug-resistant
infections like tuberculosis and malaria could spread from
impoverished nations to the United States and cause significant
damage. Daulaire believes the best solution is to provide a
basic health package for the world, at a cost of up to $15 a year
per person, according to a 1993 World Bank study. The Global
Health Council has signed, with others, a letter to President
Clinton, asking for $1 billion more in the next 10 years to help
with motherhood, family planning, major infectious diseases, and
AIDS. The groups signing the letter have typically focused on
their specific areas, such as increasing funding for vaccines,
but came together to seek funding. If the United States gives $1
billion, France, Germany, and Japan will likely increase their
donations. Daulaire states that health decisions must be made
now, before another epidemic likes AIDS comes along.
BBC News Online (02/03/00)
A couple who fled England to avoid having their baby tested for
HIV wants to take their case to the European Court of Human
Rights. The High Court ruled in September that the infant must
be tested for HIV, as the mother is HIV-positive and breastfeeds
the girl. The couple contends, however, that alternative
medicine is helping to keep both the mother and child healthy,
and that they would not be able to control how their daughter was
treated if an HIV test were performed. High Court judge Mr.
Justice Wilson stated that the baby had a right to be treated if
she is infected with HIV, which overrides the parents' rights of
wanting to avoid testing.