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.
Nature Medicine (11/99) Vol. 5, No. 11, P. 1220; Watanabe, Myrna
The President's Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS (PACHA) met last
month in Washington, D.C. While PACHA has often been critical of
government agencies, the panel showed support for current
government efforts in AIDS research and prevention. In the past,
PACHA has complained about slowness in staffing AIDS research
leadership positions at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Gary Nabel, however, was recently made director of NIH's Vaccine
Research Center (VRC). At the meeting, Nabel talked about VRC's
structure, HIV vaccine design plans, and said several personnel
with pharmaceutical and biotechnology backgrounds had been hired.
The panel also heard a presentation regarding the budget and
progress of the U.S. Military HIV Research Program, a cooperative
project between the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and
the Henry M. Jackson Foundation.
"More Teenagers Disapprove of Drug Use, Survey Finds"
New York Times (11/22/99) P. A14; Wren, Christopher S.
An annual survey on drug abuse, the Partnership Attitude Tracking
Study, indicates that fewer teenagers approve of drug use, with
only 10 percent saying that marijuana users are popular at their
schools. Furthermore, 40 percent of the respondents strongly
agreed that "kids who are really cool don't use drugs," versus 35
percent in 1998. The attitude changes seen may show a
significant trend, as experimentation with marijuana dropped to
41 percent, from 42 percent in 1998. Experimentation with
inhalants, methamphetamine, cocaine, and LSD declined as well.
The study involved more than 6,500 adolescents in the seventh
through the 12th grades. Overall, the survey, commissioned by
the Partnership for a Drug-Free America, revealed that more
teenagers are aware of drugs and their risks.
"HIV May Be Within Immune System's Control"
Boston Globe Online (11/22/99) P. C1; Knox, Richard A.
New research from Boston reveals that some AIDS patients can
control their disease when triple-drug therapy is temporarily
stopped. Researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital
reported preliminary findings from two patients who were on
"structured interrupted therapy" at a meeting of the Infectious
Disease Society of America in Philadelphia this weekend. The
scientists noted that while HIV came back each time the drugs
were halted, there were signs the patients' immune systems were
fighting to control the virus, with growing success. While it is
still too early to know if some patients will be able to
discontinue taking AIDS drugs as a result of this experiment, the
findings are encouraging and other leading research centers have
started similar studies or a planning to conduct them.
Fox News Online (11/19/99)
British researchers have found that using an extended-tip spatula
for collecting cervical cells during a Pap smear is more
effective than the commonly used Ayre's spatula. The scientists,
from St. Mary's Hospital in Manchester, said that while the
Ayre's spatula has long been used, a spatula with an extended tip
enabled doctors to sample cells from the canal of the cervix,
where abnormal pre-cancerous cells may develop. The authors
reviewed 34 trials examining smear collection devices and
published their findings in the current issue of The Lancet.
Calgary Sun Online (11/22/99); Maxwell, Cameron
Officials from AIDS Calgary in Canada have reported that more
Canadians are becoming infected with HIV, with particularly high
rates among women, young people, and drug users. Officials plan
to use this AIDS Awareness Week to deny myths, the largest of
which is that there is a cure for AIDS. About 43,347 Canadians
have tested positive for HIV since the mid-1980s, and Health
Canada has recorded more than 16,000 cases of AIDS.
Boston Globe Online (11/22/99) P. C5; Reucroft, Stephen; Swain, John
Scientist Bryan Cullen of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute at
Duke University and colleagues have found fragments of what
appears to be HIV-like DNA inside human DNA. The surprising
discovery means that the virus, called human endogenous
retrovirus K, may have been passed to humans during the course of
evolution.
"FDA Approves Supplement to Calypte's HIV-1 Serum Western Blot
Assay"
Reuters Health Information Services (11/19/99)
Calypte Biomedical Corp.'s "Day Assay" license for its HIV-1 blot
assay has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
According to Calypte, the assay will show the presence of
antibodies to HIV-1 in serum samples within five hours. The new
test, a supplement to the "Cambridge Biotech" Western blot, will
help those who want to know their HIV status quickly.
PA News (11/22/99); Pearse, Damien
Hemophiliacs in Britain are fighting for compensation rights over
the use of a blood clotting product that infected many with
hepatitis C. Thousands of hemophiliacs reportedly were infected
with hepatitis C from tainted Factor VIII, and 110 have died as a
result, according to the Hemophilia Society. Many are seeking
compensation similar to that given to hemophiliacs who contracted
HIV through Factor VIII. The Hemophilia Society also claims that
the Department of Health was warned about the risks of the
product.
PANA Wire Service (11/19/99)
The U.S. Army has given medical equipment to 10 hospitals in
rural Kenya, after the country's government requested funds for
its health sector. The U.S. Army Medical Research is hoping to
reduce the threat of malaria, AIDS, and other infectious
diseases. Dr. Amukowa Anagwe, Kenya's minister for medical
services, said the donations will help end a long shortage of
supplies.
"Visions 21: What New Things Are Going to Kill Me?"
Time (11/08/99) Vol. 154, No. 19, P. 87; Preston, Richard
Dozens of new viruses have appeared in the past 10 years,
including hepatitis G, Ebola Ivory Coast, and the Nipah virus.
Recently, the West Nile virus was found in New York City, making
its first appearance in the Western hemisphere. The growth in
population makes contact with viruses more common, and future
cities that are densely packed will only help viruses to spread.
Megacities predicted for 2015 include Bombay, Lagos, Dhaka, and
Karachi. The increased urbanization will allow diseases to
travel quickly through air, and by airplanes as well. Biological
weapons are also being developed; anthrax continues to be a
threat. Hopefully, new vaccines and better drugs will improve as
viruses grow and appear. Dr. Jeffrey Koplan, director of the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suggests that
"shoe-leather technology"--using standard methods and
investigations--to track and treat microbes may be our best
defense.