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 Clinical Oncology Online (www.jco.org) (04/07/00) Vol.
18, No. 7, P. 1550; Nasti, Guglielmo; Domenico, Errante;
Talamini, Renato; et al.
Researchers from Italy conducted a 36-patient study to determine
the effectiveness of vinorelbine on patients with AIDS-related
Kaposi's sarcoma who experienced disease progression after one or
more regimens of systemic chemotherapy. Participants in the
study, which was performed from December 1994 to May 1997,
received 30 mg/m2 of vinorelbine every two weeks. Three of the
35 assessable participants experienced a complete recovery, and
12 showed a partial response. The average response time was 176
days after the start of treatment. Vinorelbine was also
successful in improving the condition of some patients who had
become resistant to treatments using other vinca alkaloids.
Wall Street Journal (04/03/00) P. 43; Walholz, Michael
Pfizer's surprising initiative to provide Diflucan free of charge
to South African AIDS patients with cryptococcal meningitis may
lead to other drug manufacturers reducing drug prices or giving
drugs away in impoverished nations. Pfizer's decision comes
amidst advocacy efforts in several countries by Doctors Without
Borders and Treatment Action Campaign to get the company to
reduce the price of the drug. The majority of South Africans and
other Africans cannot afford the drug, which costs between $13
and $17 a day at retail, while generic versions of the drug sell
for $1.50 in Thailand. In addition to the expensive requirement
of dispensing Diflucan for the rest of a patient's life, Pfizer's
decision will likely bring pressure from other needy countries that
also want the drug.
"A Helpful, or Harmful, Hand? Pr. George's Debates Exchanges of
Needles"
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (04/03/00) P. A1;
Schwartzman, Paul
Intravenous drug users in Prince George's County, Maryland,
cannot legally obtain clean syringes within the county, so many
drive into the nearby District of Columbia to participate in its
needle exchange program. The county has the second highest
number of AIDS cases in the state. But new legislation
introduced by P.G. County Council member Thomas Hendershot (D-New
Carrolton) would allow for a needle exchange program in the
county, as part of an effort to stem the spread of HIV.
Supporters of the programs note that clean syringes prevent the
spread of HIV, as witnessed in Baltimore. Opponents, however,
believe handing out needles encourages junkies to stay addicted.
They also fear ruining Prince George's rising reputation as a
suburban haven. Statistics show that 8 percent of the
participants in D.C.'s needle exchange, which is run by
Prevention Works, are from Prince George's County. The average
age of a Prevention Works client is 45, and about three quarters
are men. Baltimore has seen success with its needle exchange
program, helping to reduce the city's HIV cases by 35 percent.
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (04/02/00); Jarrell, Anne
More preteenagers are having sex and engaging in sexual
activities, according to experts. Psychologists like Dr. Marsha
Levy-Warren of New York's Upper West Side say they are counseling
many preteenagers who are having sex and then regretting it.
Research published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association in 1997, found that 17 percent of a national sample
of thousands of seventh and eighth graders reported having had
intercourse, while smaller studies put the number even higher.
Experts cite a rising divorce rate, access to condoms, early
onset of puberty, and constant exposure to sex in the media as
sending mixed messages to youths. Children are warned about AIDS
and sexually transmitted diseases, but they also are being
exposed to sex daily on television and on the Internet. Studies
show that teens are having sex earlier than in the 1970s, with
nearly 40 percent having sex by age 15. Although the birth rate
has dropped, younger teenagers are having sex earlier than ever
before, advancing from kissing to intercourse by seventh grade.
Dr. Levy-Warren explains this is dangerous for teens who are
still developing and are not ready for the emotional consequences
of sex.
"Condom Giveaway Urged for Infected in Putnam"
New York Times (www.nytimes.com) (04/02/00) P. 11; Brenner, Elsa
Faced with rising cases of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs),
Putnam County, New York, may distribute condoms, at the
taxpayers' expense, to infected residents. The recommendation to
distribute the prophylactics comes from county executive Robert
J. Bondi, who explains that "we have to start somewhere, and
those who are already ill represent the neediest population."
Westchester and Rockland Counties have provided condoms to
at-risk individuals for years. According to the Putnam County
Charter, the Legislature sets policy and must vote on any move to
make condoms available to at-risk clients; Bondi can only make
recommendations and then enact policies cleared by the
Legislature. A total of 141 AIDS cases have been reported since
1982 in Putnam, which has less than 100,000 residents.
Reuters Health Information Services (03/31/00)
Two new reports in The Lancet (2000;355:1131-1137,1158-1159)
discuss AIDS-related mortality trends in industrialized nations.
Dr. Kholoud Porter, from the MRC Clinical Trials Unit in London,
and other researchers compared survival rates from before and
after highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) became
available, obtaining information on 5,646 seroconverters
throughout Europe. The team found that the risk of death was
lowered by 64 percent between 1997 and 1998, when HAART was
commonly prescribed, compared to the period between 1986 and
1996. Another team, which collected data from before 1996 on
HIV-infected patients in 38 studies in Europe, North America, and
Australia, found that people between the ages of 15 and 24 at HIV
seroconversion had an average survival rate of 12.5 years, while
those between the ages of 45 and 54 at seroconversion had an
average survival of 7.9 years.
Australian Broadcasting Corp. News (04/03/00)
The Australian Red Cross is warning that HIV can lie dormant for
up to 17 years, after discovering three patients who were
infected between 1980 and 1985. Dr. Jennifer Learmont of the Red
Cross said the patients contracted HIV from blood transfusions,
and have had longer incubation periods for HIV than once thought
possible. A letter is published in the Medical Journal of
Australia describing the cases.
Reuters Health Information Services (03/31/00)
Dr. Peter Piot, director of UNAIDS, said recently there is an
opportunity for Nigeria, with a relatively low HIV incidence, to help
reverse the AIDS epidemic. Piot spoke at a press conference in
Nigeria, praising the government's move to make AIDS a priority.
Statistics show that about 5.4 percent of the 120 million
Nigerians are infected with HIV. Infection rates in some other
parts of southern Africa are up to five times higher.
Agence France Presse (04/01/00)
Tuberculosis (TB) cases in Tanzania are increasing, burdening the
already strained health services system. Health Minister Aaron
Chiduo said that TB has was nearly eradicated 30 years ago, but
51,000 cases were reported in 1998. Chiduo attributed the
increasing number of infections to the AIDS epidemic.