AIDS Daily Summary September 23, 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 "Man With AIDS Settles With Texas Dentist" Baltimore Sun (09/23/94) P. 15A A Texas man who tested positive for the virus that causes AIDS will receive $100,000 in damages and penalties from a dentist who refused to continue to treat him. The Castle Dental Center was sued by the Department of Justice for alleged violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Federal law prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in places that serve the public; testing positive for HIV and having AIDS are considered disabilities. Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (9/23) P. B11 "Woman, Wrongly Told She Had AIDS Virus, Wins Big Jury Award" Philadelphia Inquirer (09/23/94) P. C9; Testa, Karen A woman who gave up her children and planned to commit suicide has been awarded $600,000 for her pain and suffering when she was misdiagnosed as being HIV-positive. The woman gave legal custody of her children to her mother and would not let them hug her because, for two years, she thought she was infected. She sued the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services, the Family Health Center, and her doctor because she said that they should have known that she was not HIV-positive and should have ordered a retest. The Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services and her doctor were both found responsible for the misdiagnosis. Related Story: Baltimore Sun (9/23) P. 15A "Hill to Bar Funds for Programs Promoting Sex" Washington Post (09/23/94) P. A20 Congressional negotiators agreed Thursday to prohibit the use of federal education money for programs that directly promote sexual activity or for the distribution of condoms in the nation's schools. They did eliminate the anti-gay provisions that Senator Jesse Helms (R-N.C.) had pushed. The agreement also states that sex education and AIDS prevention programs must include information on the health benefits of abstinence. The decision came as the Senate and House attempted to resolve problems on the reauthorization of the almost $13 billion Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Related Story: Philadelphia Inquirer (9/23) P. A2 "Washington Wire: AIDS Risks Are Among Health Worries for U.S. Troops in Haiti" Wall Street Journal (09/23/94) P. A1; Shafer, Ronald G. In Haiti, approximately 70 percent of the prostitutes are believed to be infected with HIV, as well as 6 to 8 percent of healthy-looking young adults. American troops have been issued a 15-page manual that includes a drawing of "the healthy U.S. soldier" who "says no to sex." The Pentagon has cautioned soldiers "not to come into contact with blood or other body fluids without protection." "China Fears Quiet Spread of AIDS" Philadelphia Inquirer (09/23/94) P. A2; Tofani, Loretta Experts in China fear that AIDS is slowly spreading, largely undetected, among both homosexuals and heterosexuals. They are worried that the spread could cause an epidemic that would affect huge numbers of people. A total of 1,535 people in China have tested HIV-positive, but Qi Xiaoqiu, deputy director of the Department of Epidemic Prevention, and Zheng Xiwen, director of China's AIDS Monitoring Center, estimate that the actual number of those infected is closer to 5,000 to 10,000 people. When China moved to a free-enterprise economy, prostitution, drug use, and gonorrhea became much more common, as did AIDS. Homosexuals are at great risk in China because 85 percent of them do not use condoms and a majority are promiscuous, according to a recent survey by the Shanghai Sex Sociology Research Center. Zheng has been trying to increase AIDS education, but is hampered because, while students receive prevention information in school, it is rare that the information is ever delivered in the Chinese Press or on television. "Red Cross Bypasses U.S. Ban on Import of Certain Plasma" Toronto Globe and Mail (09/22/94) P. A10; Coutts, Jane The Canadian Red Cross, in an attempt to circumvent the U.S. ban on the import of blood plasma, has changed procedures in blood centers across Canada to free up more plasma, which is separated from whole blood after it is donated for shipment to the United States. In doing this, the CRC ensures a steady supply of blood products while the U.S. Food and Drug Administration decides whether to issue Canada a license to allow source plasma, which is taken without removing whole blood from the donor, into the United States for processing. An FDA spokesman said that the Canadian "short-supply" arrangement should stay in effect until after a license is issued. "India Says No to Sex Ed in Schools" United Press International (09/22/94); Jain, Neelam The Human Resource Ministry in India has vetoed plans to introduce sex education in India's schools. The ministry said that a classroom was not the right place to explain human sexuality. Social and cultural taboos in India create a restrictive environment for open sex education. AIDS prevention programs have not had much success in India, and more than one million people have tested HIV-positive there. HIV-infection is up 60 percent in India since 1993. "AIDS: Still the Issue" Advocate (09/06/94) No. 663, P. 80; Osborn, Torie Advocate columnist Torie Osborn writes that the homophobic "degaying" of AIDS, which has begun to prevail in the allocation of prevention funds, must be reversed. Although gay men represent 80 percent of the infected population, only 8 percent of all prevention dollars are currently being allocated to them. Another trend that must be stopped, Osborn warns, is the desire to separate AIDS from the national agenda of gay and lesbian politics. Although AIDS is not exclusive to homosexuals, the fact remains that a second wave of HIV infection is taking place among young gay and bisexual men, people of color, older gay men, and lesbians. According to statistics, nearly one-third of all gay and bisexual men in America who are 20 years old today will either be dead or HIV-positive in 10 years. Although notable gains have been made in society's acceptance of those who are HIV-positive, Osborn notes that homosexuality remains a divided issue. "In horrible irony it has almost become more acceptable in this sick, homophobic society to have AIDS than to be gay," she writes. "Reduced Rate of Disease Development After HIV-2 Infection as Compared to HIV-1" Science (09/09/94) Vol. 265. No. 5178, P. 1587; Marlink, Richard; Kanki, Phyllis; Thior, Ibou, et al. A study was conducted of infected female sex workers in Senegal from 1985 to 1993 to determine the differences of infection and disease between HIV-1 and HIV-2. Although HIV-1 is more prevalent worldwide, HIV-2 is dominant in many countries in West Africa and has been present in some of these populations since the 1960s. HIV-2 was determined less virulent because five years after seroconversion, one-third of the women who had HIV-1 had developed symptoms of AIDS, while none of the HIV-2 infected women were symptomatic. Those infected with HIV-2 also had lower rates of developing abnormal CD4 cell counts. "Paris Global Summit on AIDS, December 1--Action Alert, More U.S. Effort Needed" AIDS Treatment News (09/02/94) No. 206, P. 6 Heads of state from 42 countries have been invited to a Global Summit on AIDS in Paris on Dec. 1. Preliminary meetings on topics including vaccine and treatment research and prevention of transmission will be held in September and October. Health and Human Services Secretary Donna Shalala will attend the summit, although other U.S. officials have demonstrated little interest in the early meetings. AIDS Treatment News urges that citizens tell President Clinton and other officials that the Summit requires their attention.