AIDS Daily Summary July 28, 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 "Charges Brought in HIV Disclosure Case" Chicago Tribune (07/27/94) P. 1-3 A Michigan woman who was quarantined in 1992 for having unprotected sex without informing partners of her HIV-positive status now faces criminal charges for allegedly repeating the behavior. Brenda Jensen, 33, was charged with three counts of violating the state's AIDS disclosure law, which requires HIV patients to reveal their condition to sexual partners. Jensen was ordered to serve eight months of house arrest in 1992 for the same offense, but her lawyers say her low mental capacity--which is barely above standards for mental retardation--makes it difficult for her to follow court orders. Nevertheless, if she is found guilty this time, Jensen faces a much stiffer sentence: up to four years in jail for each count. "Lack of Studies Found to Limit AIDS Research" New York Times (07/28/94) P. A18; Hilts, Philip J. A committee of the Institute of Medicine, part of the National Academy of Sciences, released a report concluding that a lack of studies on sexual behavior and drug abuse have hampered progress in the fight against AIDS. Basic research on behavior modification has not yet been conducted on the necessary level, it said. Panel members noted that despite extensive efforts to develop effective treatments or a vaccine against HIV/AIDS, research has been "inhibited by a political climate during the first decade of the epidemic that made it difficult, and on some occasions impossible to conduct research on the very behaviors in question: drug use and sex." The report recommended a comprehensive national survey of the two factors, which are the primary modes of HIV transmission. Related Stories: Washington Post (07/28) P. A18; Baltimore Sun (07/28) P. 3A; Philadelphia Inquirer (07/28) P. A3 "U.S. Sees Fewer Reported AIDS Cases" Washington Times (07/28/94) P. A3; Price, Joyce The number of AIDS cases reported in the United States in the first half of 1994 is much lower than the figure for the year earlier period. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37,529 new AIDS cases were reported between Jan. 1 and June 30, compared to 59,979 cases reported for the same period last year. Experts, however, disagree over the significance of the decline. The CDC's Dr. John Ward says the drop was expected, considering that cases totaled nearly 104,500 last year--more than twice the 1992 levels--because of the agency's new AIDS case definition, which took effect Jan. 1, 1993. But Joel Hay, an associate professor at the University of Southern California who has been tracking the spread of AIDS since the early 1980s, argues that the decline is evidence that the epidemic has already peaked. He agrees with Ward that the huge increase in cases in 1993 was due to the revised AIDS definition. "AIDS May Not Develop For 20 Years in HIV Sufferer" Reuters (07/28/94) As many as one quarter of HIV patients will survive for two decades without progressing to AIDS, say researchers. Based on a study of hemophiliac men who acquired the virus through blood transfusions, the researchers developed a model to predict if and when the men would develop AIDS. The subjects were followed for at least 10 years after becoming infected, with the model correctly identifying the majority of those who developed AIDS within that period. The model also indicated that older individuals tend to progress to the disease more quickly than younger patients. The model calculated that a third of patients under age 15, a fifth of patients between the ages of 15 and 29, and an eighth of patients over age 30 remained AIDS-free. "State Plans to Give Phila. $415,000 for AIDS Home" Philadelphia Inquirer (07/28/94) P. B2 As officials in Philadelphia devise a long-term plan to keep open the city's AIDS nursing home, the state will provide $415,000 to help run Betak in the meantime, the governor's office announced. The funds are in addition to Pennsylvania's June contribution of $100,000 that was used to maintain Betak operations through July. The city plans to use the money in planning health and support services for young adults with AIDS who are homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless. "Australian Man Jailed for Exaggerating AIDS Claim" Reuters (07/28/94) An HIV-positive Australian man who exaggerated the extent of his condition in an attempt to get out of prison was sentenced to four years in jail for fraud and two years for knowingly fabricating medical evidence. Scott Sutherland, 30, was convicted last December on 43 charges of defrauding $77,000, but received a suspended sentence after convincing the judge that he was dying. When authorities became suspicious, medical tests were conducted which indicated that Sutherland had advanced HIV disease, but that his illness was not severe enough to keep him from serving time. "Drug Use Means Increased HIV in British Prisons" Reuters (07/27/94) Widespread drug use in British prisons places inmates at high risk for HIV infection, according to a new report funded by the AIDS charity, Alert. "Many prisoners are injecting drugs and the risk of HIV infection is enormous as needles are endlessly reused," the study revealed. It also found that many drugs, including heroin, cocaine, and crack, were available in many of the country's correctional facilities, and that prisoners continue to use them because they are not offered treatment for their addictions. "Tracking Tainted-Blood Recipients Hit-And-Miss in N.S." Toronto Globe and Mail (07/27/94) P. A7 Attempts in 1986 to track down Nova Scotia patients who contracted HIV through blood transfusions were not greatly successful, Dr. Pierre Lavigne told the Krever inquiry. According to statistics, 23 of 65 recipients could not be located. Lavigne, who was then the province's contagious-disease expert, attributed the mediocre success rate in part to the fact that only he and his secretary conducted the investigative work. Mr. Justice Horace Krever is trying to determine why the Red Cross and Canadian provinces allowed the distribution of contaminated blood in hospitals in the mid-1980s. "Conference to Focus on Asian Epidemic, Perinatal Infection" AIDS Alert (07/94) Vol. 9, No. 7, P. 100 When the 10th International Conference on AIDS convenes in Yokohoma, Japan, Aug. 7-12, participants will focus on the wildfire spread of HIV in Asia, new advances in perinatal transmission, vaccine trials, and a growing dearth of AIDS caregivers. Hosted by an Asian nation for the very first time, the conference is expected to attract 10,000 participants, and more than 4,000 abstracts from 120 countries, according to Dr. Naoko Yamamoto, chief executive of the conference.