AIDS Daily Summary June 16, 1994 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public service only. Providing this information does not constitute endorsement by the CDC, the CDC Clearinghouse, or any other organization. Reproduction of this text is encouraged; however, copies may not be sold, and the CDC Clearinghouse should be cited as the source of this information. Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD "City Giving AIDS Clinic $1.2 Million" Washington Post (06/16/94) P. D1; Goldstein, Amy The Whitman-Walker Clinic has emerged the victor in a fierce competition to receive the District of Columbia's primary AIDS grant--one of the nation's most generous, at $1.2 million. As the oldest and largest AIDS service organization in the country, Whitman-Walker said its medical treatment, social, and legal services would be crippled should the clinic be stripped of the grant it has received each year since 1983. The Sankofa Community Coalition of HIV/AIDS services, a group of minority organizations established a year ago to compete for the grant, said Whitman-Walker's selection for the grant was motivated by race and politics. Sankofa members argued that their small, minority-run groups were better equipped to expand services in the black and Hispanic communities, where the epidemic is spreading most rapidly. "Study Sees a New Threat in Tuberculosis Infections" New York Times (06/16/94) P. B3; Henneberger, Melinda Two new studies indicate that a significant number of patients in New York City and San Francisco contracted tuberculosis not from latent infections spread a long time ago, but from more recent infections. The findings show that many of the newly infected TB patients were HIV carriers. Because the immune systems of HIV-positive patients are impaired-- and thus more susceptible to disease--researchers say they may be indicative of how TB infection could eventually affect the general population. They conclude that more people are becoming infected today--although many will not develop the disease for years, if at all--and that TB may be a more serious public health threat than previously thought. "Blood Inquiry's Budget Raised to $11-Million" Toronto Globe and Mail (06/14/94) P. A5 The budget for Canada's federal probe into its blood system has been raised to $11 million, more than four times the initial $2.5 million allocated. According to Greg Hamara, a spokesman for the commission of inquiry, the additional money is needed to cover the extended schedule of the investigation. "Treated Blood Product Held Back" Toronto Globe and Mail (06/15/94) P. A1; Picard, Andre Even though 95 percent of its inventory consisted of disease-free, heat-treated products, the Manitoba Red Cross Society continued to give hemophiliacs blood products likely to be contaminated with HIV, documents filed in the Krever inquiry revealed. According to the documents, the Red Cross received 645 units of heat-treated Factor 8 concentrate between May and July of 1985, but distributed only 15 to patients. In that same time frame, the agency did distribute 467 vials of blood product that were not heat-treated to kill HIV. Marlis Schroeder, medical director of the Manitoba agency, testified that the blood products were distributed according to a "priority list," which identified patients deemed eligible for the safer product. Apparently only four were considered eligible. "Test Children for AIDS, Hospital Says" Toronto Globe and Mail (06/15/94) P. A6 Women's College Hospital in Toronto is notifying parents of premature babies who received blood transfusions between 1978 and 1985 and urging them to have their children, who may be becoming sexually active, tested for HIV. "Gay Churches Grow Amid AIDS Crisis" Reuters (06/14/94); Salisbury, Laney While AIDS has devastated the homosexual community, the epidemic has prompted more gays and lesbians to worship at New York's branch of the Metropolitan Community Church, America's first place of worship openly dedicated to gays. Unlike mainstream denominations--which are declining in membership--the Metropolitan Community Church is flourishing. It has grown into 30,000 members worldwide since its 1968 establishment, according to the Rev. Kittredge Cherry. The parishioners do not attend the church solely for spiritual healing, but also to reach out to others via AIDS support groups, Bible study, and soup kitchens. "Simon Says" Houston Chronicle (06/15/94) P. 2A A benefit concert performed by Paul Simon in Dallas, Texas, last Friday raised more than $1 million for the American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmFAR). "Someone's in the Kitchen With Barbra" United Press International (06/14/94) Songbird Barbra Streisand and entertainment executives David Geffen and Barry Diller will co-chair next month's groundbreaking ceremony for the new facility of a Los Angeles charity that provides hot, well-balanced meals for AIDS patients. Project Angel Food was established five years ago, with a dozen volunteers cooking in a 300-square-foot kitchen and delivering meals to four patients each day. With the new 5,000-square-foot center, Project Angel Food serves more than 4,000 free, hot meals each week with the help of donations and about 900 volunteers. "J&J Seeks Approval of HIV Self-Test Kit" Advertising Age (05/23/94) Vol. 65, No. 22, P. 1; Sloan, Pat; DeNitto, Emily Johnson & Johnson hopes to become the first healthcare marketer to put an HIV self-test kit on the market. The $30 kit, called Confide, would include a lancet with which to draw blood and a smear card to send off to a national laboratory. Results, counseling, and medical referrals would be dispensed by phone. The Food and Drug Administration has denied approval to other test kits, citing concerns such as packing and mailing, false positives, and the need for in-person medical consultations. Johnson & Johnson claims that Confide will provide easy access and total anonymity. An independent survey by the company found that 80 percent of gays and lesbians would be inclined to use the test, and a recent poll from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that one in four Americans would use such a test and counseling service.