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.
"Science and More for TB"
Nature (www.nature.com) (02/17/00) Vol. 403, No. 6771, P. 687
An estimated 2 billion people are infected with Mycobacterium
tuberculosis, and there are 16 million cases of active
tuberculosis (TB). The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development
is working to coordinate research and develop affordable drugs;
however, the editors of Nature note that effective control
programs are also necessary, so further drug resistance is not
created. The alliance's goal is to have a new TB drug by 2007.
New technologies will be essential in the success of a new
treatment, so the typical $300 million to $500 million cost of
developing a new drug can be reduced to $100 million. The
editors suggest that instead of having big drug companies
subsidize the project, the alliance might do better in choosing
smaller pharmaceutical and biotechnology firms, which can offer
innovation and flexibility, among other things. They also point
out that while drug firms must make their products more
affordable to developing nations, "developing countries need
reminding that the cost of business as usual will be much more
than that of investing in the development of drugs and vaccines."
"Merck & Co. Will Pledge $100 Million of Vaccines to World's
Poorest Children"
Wall Street Journal (www.wsj.com) (03/02/00) P. B2; Harris,
Gardiner; Waldholz, Michael
The chairman of Merck, Raymond Gilmartin, is to announce today at
a meeting with President Clinton and leaders of three other top
pharmaceutical companies that Merck will donate $100 million
worth of vaccines to be used by children in the poorest nations
of the world. While Merck's donation, which will be used to
vaccinate against hepatitis B in sub-Saharan Africa, will
probably be the largest, American Home Products, SmithKline
Beecham, and Aventis Pharma will also donate vaccines for the
prevention of meningitis, malaria, elephantiasis, and polio.
Other efforts on part of the four companies to treat disease with
vaccines include pledges to conduct additional vaccine research,
especially work in the area of AIDS, and the joining of a group
of government, healthcare, and nonprofit institutions interested
in increased research for vaccines. American Home is expected to
donate 10 million doses of a meningitis and pneumonia vaccine
valued at $40 million retail, Aventis is expected to contribute
50 million doses of a polio vaccine, and SmithKline is expected
to announce increased child trials for its malaria vaccine.
Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com) (03/02/00) P. B3;
Goldstein, Avram
Two competing lawsuits filed against Georgetown University
Medical Center on Wednesday claim the center failed to protect
patients by not upholding American Hospital Association
guidelines that call for universal drug screening before hiring
new employees. Around 600 patients must be tested for HIV,
hepatitis, and other viruses after X-ray technician Jeffrey L.
Royal was discovered siphoning off painkillers from infusion
pumps and intravenous lines and replacing the drugs with saline
solution. The fear is that Royal may have used contaminated
needles to inject the salt water into the equipment. Lawyers for
the cases assert that pre-employment drug testing could have
identified Royal's problem before he was hired last fall. So
far, 466 patients have been notified of the need for testing, and
officials say another 100 to 150 will probably notified in the
near future.
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Online (www.seattle-pi.com)
(03/02/00); Hopkins, Jack
The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department in Washington State
has started keeping lists of individuals who test positive for
tuberculosis (TB). The new policy requires doctors to report the
names of those who test positive, in the hopes of keeping the
disease from overcoming a community. The policy, approved with
little public attention in January, requires doctors to report
all individuals with active TB as well as anyone who tests
positive but is not infectious. The list of TB patients' names
will be kept confidential like the state list of AIDS patients'
names, but the health department will not contact people who test
positive for TB. There were 43 cases of active TB in Pierce
County last year, which is low. Opponents feel the policy may
target immigrants and AIDS patients unfairly, since they are at
greater risk for infection.
Reuters (03/01/00)
The British government has warned against using St. John's wort,
an herbal remedy for depression, because it can prevent some
prescriptions from working properly. The Ministry of Health
warned that some drugs for the treatment of HIV, heart
conditions, and asthma, and the oral contraceptive pill could be
affected by the herb. Around 2 million people in Britain use the
St. John's wort.
"[Utah] Senate OKs Abstinence Sex Ed Bill"
Salt Lake Tribune Online (www.sltrib.com) (03/02/00); Fahys, Judy
A measure that stipulates that abstinence is the only topic for
sex education was passed by the Utah Senate on Wednesday. The
issue is controversial, as opponents say that teenagers need
correct information regarding pregnancy and sexual health. Under
House Bill 411, teachers can warn students "with respect to
criminal conduct, pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted
diseases, and the failure of contraceptives as a protective
strategy." The measure now goes to Gov. Mike Leavitt for
approval. While most senators said that abstinence is already
being taught, some expressed concern about the explicitness of
sex education materials from certain organizations and the idea
that sex outside of marriage is acceptable.
Reuters (03/01/00)
A survey by MarkData found that, in a sample of 2,200 South
Africans, between 55 percent and 65 percent of the population was
exposed to significant degree of risk for HIV infection because
of ignorance regarding the disease. An estimated 1,700 South
Africans are infected with HIV each day, and, according to the
report, 20 percent of the population studied was considered at
extreme risk for contracting the virus. Lack of safe sex and
other fallacies regarding HIV are fueling the crisis. Some of
the individuals surveyed thought AIDS was not necessarily fatal,
while others said they thought a cure was available.
"Heroin Chic, Ecstasy Myth Noted in US Report"
Reuters (03/01/00); Monaghan, Elaine
The belief that the drug ecstasy is safe, along with rising
cocaine use in Europe, were two trends listed in a State
Department report on drugs for 1999. According to the study, the
heroin user is now viewed as "chic," unlike the previous image of
a heroin addict dying in an alley with a needle stuck in his or
her arm. In addition, needles are not always necessary, since
high-grade Colombian heroin can be sniffed. The report cited a
survey from August 1999 that estimated the overall number of
American heroin users at about 1.2 million.
"Community-Based Centers to Care for Kenya's HIV Patients"
PANA Wire service (03/01/00)
As part of an effort to reduce expenses, HIV and AIDS patients in
Nairobi, Kenya, will now be treated in community-based centers
instead of hospitals. Two pilot projects for community-based
healthcare have been established in Kibera and Embakasi. The
AIDS epidemic has had a significant impact on Kenya, with about
40,000 HIV infections recorded in Nairobi alone. In part because
of the high cost of care for HIV and AIDS patients, hospital
treatment is no longer sustainable, explained Provincial
Commissioner Cyrus Maina, who also said "there is a greater need
to understand the impact of the epidemic and the effect of
results-oriented interventions."