                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                     December 14, 1993 


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
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Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


"AIDS Epidemic Increasing Slowly in U.S. Population, New Survey  
Suggests" 
Baltimore Sun (12/14/93) P. 8A 
     The first nationwide survey of AIDS infection conservatively  
concludes that about 550,000 Americans are infected with the  
virus--an estimate that is considerably lower than earlier  
government estimates.  The new figures, released yesterday by Dr. 
Geraldine McQuillan of the National Center for Health Statistics, 
represent the first effort to estimate the scope of AIDS through  
direct testing of the general population.  The data was based on  
a random sample of 7,992 households, but the researchers concede  
that it is a conservative estimate because the survey covered  
only those Americans living at home.  It failed to include  
prisoners, homeless people, and hospitalized patients.  In  
addition, young men in the study were slightly more reluctant  
than other participants to be tested for AIDS, which may have  
contributed to the lower estimate of infections.  The most widely 
accepted estimate of AIDS infection, compiled by the Centers for  
Disease Control and Prevention, dictates that about 1 million  
Americans carry the virus--a number that has remained stable  
since the mid-1980s.  McQuillan speculates that the CDC  
previously may have  overestimated the extent of the epidemic,  
but the projection is probably fairly accurate at this time.  The 
new study, she said, "implies the epidemic is slowly increasing  
in the general population.  It is not exploding."  Related  
Stories: Washington Post (12/14) P. A13; Philadelphia Inquirer  
(12/14) P. A10; Washington Times (12/14) P. A5; and USA Today  
(12/14) P. 1D 
       
"EU Moves to Limit Tainted Blood Supplies" 
Journal of Commerce (12/14/93) P. 7A 
     The European Union has approved a plan to improve blood testing  
for the AIDS virus that calls for discontinued use of imported  
blood.  Because half of the affected plasma products come from  
America, the move would cripple the U.S. medical industry.  EC  
Health Commissioner Padraig Flynn recommended the tighter  
regulations after investigations yielded evidence that a German  
company distributed HIV-contaminated blood products.  Flynn  
attributed the inadequacy of blood products to conflicting  
legislation in EU nations, which bans some members from exporting 
blood to other member states and allows others to export outside  
of the EC.  The EU should become self-sufficient in blood  
provisions, said Flynn. 
       
"'Natural' Interferon Joins the AIDS Battle" 
Wall Street Journal (12/14/93) P. B1 
     Interferon, a substance produced by white blood cells as part of  
the body's immune defense against disease, once showed promise as 
an AIDS treatment.  Although laboratory and human studies showed  
that alpha interferon was able to block HIV replication, the  
substance was problematic in that it caused debilitating flu-like 
symptoms and had to be administered intravenously, a obstacle to  
daily use.  For years, however, Interferon Sciences in New Jersey 
has argued that its "natural" interferon manufactured from  
donated blood is more potent and less toxic than the alpha  
interferon sold by Schering-Plough and Roche Holding.  The  
company says its Alferon product is a cocktail of 14 alpha  
interferon subtypes, while the other products are a combination  
of just two subtypes.  It also maintains that one of the  
subtypes, which is found in its "natural" interferon but not in  
that of the drug companies, is especially active against the AIDS 
virus.  According to a new report, researchers at the Walter Reed 
Army Institute claim that the Alferon mixture is, in fact, 100 to 
1,000 times more potent than other versions.  A test of Alferon  
in patients also demonstrated fewer side effects than expected. 
       
"Carjackers Got a Load of HIV-Positive Blood" 
Baltimore Sun (12/14/93) P. 2B 
     Two carjackers who hit and bit a man as he was getting into a  
state-owned vehicle ended up with a car-load full of HIV-positive 
blood.  The 150 test tubes of blood were en route to be tested  
for the AIDS virus at laboratories in Baltimore and Cheverly, Md. 
Some of the blood was already known to be infected with the virus 
because it was taken from HIV-infected patients, said Lynn Frank, 
director of communicable diseases for the Montgomery County  
Health Department.  Although the stolen car was recovered with  
all of the specimens intact, the samples are now useless after so 
much time away from a lab setting because HIV doesn't survive  
long outside of the body, she noted.  Frank said that the  
patients' blood would have to be redrawn and the old specimens  
specially disposed of as medical waste. 
       
"German Firm Sold AIDS-Tainted Blood--Investigators" 
Reuters (12/10/93) 
     Frankfurt, Germany--The German HIV scandal continued to snowball  
Friday when investigators reported that a pharmaceutical firm  
sold blood taken from a donor known to be infected with the AIDS  
virus.  Three companies have been closed under suspicion that  
they neglected to ensure their blood products were free of HIV.   
One of those firms, Haemoplas, received five batches of  
contaminated plasma in November 1987 from a company called  
Plasmadienst Offenbach, said Hesse state health ministry.  The  
batches came from a single donor who had tested positive for HIV  
in January of that year.  Two of the batches were seized, but  
five entered the market 11 months later.  The Hesse health  
ministry found no evidence that Plasmadienst Offenbach may have  
warned Haemoplas, said officials.  Haemoplas then sold the plasma 
to hospitals in Mannheim, Munich, and Hanau, where local  
authorities are now recommending that patients who received  
treatment with the tainted blood products undergo AIDS testing. 
       
"EXP--Female Condom--FDA" 
Associated Press (12/13/93)  (Raeburn, Paul) 
     New York--The lack of demand for Reality's female condom may be  
due to the conclusion of the Food and Drug Administration that  
the device has a failure rate of 26 percent.  James Trussell of  
Princeton University, however, found the female condom to be  
about as effective as the male condom and the diaphragm.   
Furthermore, he says, it may be ideal for men and women who  
dislike male condoms.  "It's the only method that prevents both  
pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases that is under the  
control of the woman," notes Trussell, a Reality consultant.   
"There wouldn't be a need for the female condom if males used  
condoms at every act of intercourse."  Plus, says Mary Ann  
Leeper, who directed development of the device at Wisconsin  
Pharmacal, the polyurethane from which it is made is less likely  
to rip or tear than latex male condoms.  "We know that the HIV  
virus can't get through the sheath," she said.  "Logic says  
you're going to be protected."  Trussell says that 21 percent,  
not 26, of women using the female condom would become pregnant  
during one year of "typical use," meaning sometimes using it,  
sometimes not.  Typical use of the male condom is thought to have 
a failure rate of 15 percent.  With perfect use--with each act of 
intercourse--the female condom has a failure rate of only 5  
percent, compared to 3 percent for the male condom, says  
Trussell.  But Dr. Lillian Yin of the FDA says that there is not  
yet solid data on the device.  She said the female condom was  
approved on the basis of a six-month study, rather than the usual 
year-long study, because of the condom's value to AIDS  
prevention.  That meant that the female condom could be approved  
more quickly, but that the FDA was less sure of its  
effectiveness. 
       
"Numbers Paint Somber Picture of AIDS in Md." 
Baltimore Sun (12/12/93) P. 1B  (Selby, Holly) 
     Grim statistics compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and  
Prevention suggest that Maryland may be one of the states hardest 
hit by the AIDS epidemic.  Although only 19th in population, the  
state ranks among the top 10 for two significant AIDS indicators: 
number of AIDS cases since 1981, and the number of infections per 
100,000 people.  Maryland is ninth in the nation in terms of  
total cases since 1981, with 7,420 residents diagnosed with the  
deadly virus.  The state has the country's eighth-highest rate of 
infection, with 47.6 documented cases for each 100,000 residents. 
The nation is led by New York, which has diagnosed 64,981 cases  
of AIDS, and the District of Columbia, which has a rate of 232.2  
cases per 100,000 people.  Other top-ranking states are  
California, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Florida.  Factors  
linked to the spread of AIDS, including urbanization and  
intravenous drug use, have contributed to Maryland's relatively  
high rate.  The same factors apply from Washington, D.C. to  
Boston, making the Northeast Corridor the highest concentration  
of AIDS cases in the nation. 
       
"Probation Revoked in AIDS/Marijuana Case" 
United Press International (12/10/93) 
     San Diego--A San Diego judge has revoked probation for a man  
infected with the AIDS virus who claims he is unable to survive  
without the marijuana he was growing.  In October, jurors  
accepted "medical necessity" as Samuel Skipper's defense for  
cultivating marijuana and acquitted him.  Skipper, 39, of La  
Mesa, said that he needed the drug to stave off the symptoms of  
AIDS, which killed his lover.  Skipper then sought to terminate  
probation conditions from a case in 1991 in which he pleaded  
guilty.  Municipal Court Judge Charles Rogers agreed to modify  
the terms of Skipper's probation.  The judge exempted Skipper's  
house from search and seizure requirements, but left his person  
and vehicle open to search.  But Skipper argues that his  
cultivation tools had been seized, and now he cannot use his car  
to transport drug equipment for fear of violating probation, or  
facing new charges.  "I have no choice but to do what I'm doing," 
said Skipper.  "They won't give me the tools.  They're saying,  
'Go home and die.'"  Rogers allowed Skipper to remain free on his 
own recognizance until sentencing Jan. 13, when he faces up to  
three years in jail. 
       
"Haitians Escape Guantanamo, Not HIV Shadow" 
Los Angeles Times--Washington Edition (12/12/93) P. A2  (Sewell,  
Dan) 
     After the ousting of Jean-Bertrand Aristide from the Haitian  
government in September 1991, 40,000 Haitians fled from their  
island.  Guantanamo Bay, the U.S. Navy base at the southern tip  
of Cuba, became a conveniently located detention camp.   
Three-quarters were sent back, and the camp dwindled down to  
about 200 Haitians, all of whom had tested HIV-positive.   
Although they provided sufficient evidence of political  
persecution in their homeland to qualify for entry to the States, 
they were prevented from doing so by America's policy against  
admitting immigrants infected with the AIDS virus.  Although  
unfriendly U.S. policy towards Haitians is common, the indefinite 
detention of people with medical conditions in such a camp  
prompted public outrage.  U.S. District Judge Sterling Johnson  
Jr. responded in March by ordering that the 50 Haitians who had  
developed AIDS be taken to the United States for medical  
treatment.  In June, calling Guantanamo "nothing more than an HIV 
prison camp," Johnson ordered it shut down.  The remaining 142  
Haitians were flown to America, where various organizations  
worked to cut red tape and swiftly arrange housing, medical care, 
and other aid.  Despite these efforts, many Haitians still have  
problems finding or keeping jobs.  The transition has also taken  
its toll on the psychological state of the immigrants, who are  
shadowed by a deadly virus in a new culture that has made them  
feel unwanted and suspicious. 
       
"Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems Files 510(K) for FDA  
Clearance of FACSCount, a Complete System for Monitoring Patients 
With HIV Infection; New Product Provides Precision, Accessibility 
and Ease-Of-Use in Monitoring the Progression of the HIV  
Infection" 
PR Newswire (12/10/93) 
     San Jose, Calif.--Becton Dickinson Immunocytometry Systems (BDIS) 
has applied for clearance from the Food and Drug Administration  
to sell its FACSCount system for monitoring HIV patients in the  
United States.  FACSCount, the first of its kind dedicated to  
obtaining absolute counts of CD4, CD8, and CD3 T lymphocytes, has 
been available on the international market since April.  The  
device offers improved precision and accessibility of CD4  
testing, which is critical in monitoring the progression of AIDS. 
The system is self-contained, eliminating the need for other  
instrumentation and simplifying the sample preparation process.   
And use of whole blood samples--which require minimal preparation 
and handling--reduces the risk of human error.  Once a blood  
sample is analyzed, a built-in printer yields a summary printout  
of the absolute numbers of CD4, CD8, and CD3 T lymphocytes and a  
helper/suppresser ratio.  "Cost effectiveness and ease-of-use of  
the FACSCount system will make more accurate, reproducible  
testing for CD4, CD8, and CD3 counts more convenient and readily  
accessible to patients, including those in lesser-developed  
countries, afflicted with the HIV virus," explained Kate  
Mulligan, BDIS marketing manager, Worldwide AIDS Program.   
"Because smaller laboratories, hospitals, and physician groups  
will now be able to afford and use an accurate cell counting  
system, patients will receive the benefit of having local clinics 
monitor their immune cell levels." 
       
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