                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                       July 26, 1995

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 1995, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD


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"Glaxo Wellcome to Cut or Relocate 1,000 Jobs in U.S."
"Obituary: Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman and Then Gay-Rights 
Advocate"
"Confusion Reigns over Russia's AIDS Law"
"U.S. Sees World Threat from Old, New Diseases"
"China Teaches Students AIDS Lessons with Condoms"
"Risk-Taking Young Keep Life Expectancy Down in EU"
"Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Persons"
"...And Says Blood Claims Are 'Simplistic'"
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"Glaxo Wellcome to Cut or Relocate 1,000 Jobs in U.S."
Wall Street Journal (07/26/95) P. B8;  Bray, Nicholas
     On Tuesday, Glaxo Wellcome PLC announced plans for the extensive 
reorganization of its U.S. manufacturing operations.  A total of 
1,000 jobs may be eliminated from the company born out of Glaxo 
PLC's takeover of Wellcome PLC earlier this year.  According to 
the plan, the former Glaxo plant in Zebulon, N.C., will become 
the central prescription drug producer, while the former Wellcome
unit in Greenville, N.C., will continue making over-the-counter 
drugs "for the foreseeable future."  Distribution and technical 
development activities will be located at the company's U.S. 
headquarters in Research Triangle Park, N.C., or in Zebulon.  
Glaxo Wellcome's key therapies include such antivirals as Zovirax
for the treatment of herpes and Retrovir, which is used to treat 
AIDS.  Related Story: New York Times (07/26) P. D3; Washington 
Post (07/26) P. G2; Investor's Business Daily (07/26) P. B13
      
"Obituary: Jon Hinson, 53, Congressman and Then Gay-Rights 
Advocate"
New York Times (07/26/95) P. D19
     Jon Hinson, the conservative Congressman who became a gay rights 
activist after leaving office due to a morals charge, died last 
Friday of respiratory failure resulting from AIDS.  In 1978,  
Hinson rose from relative political obscurity to obtain 
Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District Seat as a 
conservative Republican.  But early in his second term, in April 
1981, he resigned after being arrested in the men's washroom in a
federal office building on a charge of oral sodomy.  Hinson later
publicly acknowledged that he was gay and became active in 
homosexual political matters.  His actions included challenging 
the ban on gays in the military, and founding the Fairfax (Va.) 
Lesbian and Gay Citizens Association.   Hinson is survived by his
brother.  Related Story: Washington Post (07/26) P. B4
      
"Confusion Reigns over Russia's AIDS Law"
Boston Globe (07/25/95) P. 6;  Hoell, Susanne
     Although a new law that requires travelers who plan extended 
visits in Russia to prove that they are HIV-negative takes effect
next week, some people are still not sure how it will work.  One 
member of the Health Ministry said the Foreign Ministry is 
preparing a form that visitors, including students and 
journalists, would have to complete--but a Foreign Ministry 
official claimed he knew nothing about it.  Foreigners planning 
to stay more than 90 days would have to show certificates that 
they are not infected with the virus that causes AIDS when they 
are asked for visas, according to the Health Ministry's Mikhail 
Narkevich.  Foreigners with valid Russian visas should present 
their certificate when extending their visas.  Western embassies,
however, say they have no information about how travelers are 
supposed to prove they are not infected.  "At the moment the 
situation is unclear," a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy said.  
The new law has been widely opposed by AIDS activists and medical
experts, who say it is medically senseless and discriminatory.
      
"U.S. Sees World Threat from Old, New Diseases"
Reuters (07/25/95);  Kenen, Joanne
     Disease-fighting experts on Tuesday called for a coordinated 
global response to such diseases as the Ebola virus, HIV, and 
tuberculosis.  Scientists and health authorities at a State 
Department forum on a new report on emerging and re-emerging 
diseases also asked for U.S. leadership and international 
attempts to improve disease detection and the resources needed to
respond to them quickly.  "These diseases know no boundaries 
between counties, between states, between countries," said U.S. 
Undersecretary of State for Global Affairs Timothy Wirth.  The 
experts said that existing federal and international agencies 
need to be supported and strengthened.  In addition, the report 
recommended the formation of regional networks to look out for 
diseases and respond to them, connecting health officials and 
laboratories around the world.  Within the United States, the 
experts called for increased disease surveillance at local and 
federal levels, and for collaboration between the public and 
private sectors to improve testing and vaccine capabilities in 
case of an emergency.
      
"China Teaches Students AIDS Lessons with Condoms"
Reuters (07/25/95)
     A new pilot program in China's universities will, for the first 
time, teach students the importance of condoms in preventing 
AIDS.  Approximately 80,000 students in Shanghai and the province
of Henan will be issued information about AIDS and how to use 
condoms, says Xie Mouhong of the State Education Commission's 
health department.  The trial will be the first time China's 
conservative schools have promoted condoms as a method of 
avoiding HIV transmission, Xie adds.  The program will begin in 
September, and authorities hope to extend the AIDS lesson 
nationwide later this year or early in 1996.
      
"Risk-Taking Young Keep Life Expectancy Down in EU"
Reuters (07/24/95)
     According to the European Union's (EU's) first report on its 
members' health, young people tend to live "riskier lives" than 
in the past.  Although the report noted that people are healthier
than ever before, it cautioned that "current social behavior 
raises the question of how far life expectancy can be further 
extended."  Men between the ages of 15 and 34 account for 45 
percent of deaths from car accidents, 85 percent of all 
homicides, and constitute a large number of AIDS deaths.  The 
incidence of AIDS is greatest in France, Italy, and Spain--which,
combined, are thought to account for nearly 75 percent of the 
EU's 120,000 diagnosed cases of AIDS.  The report concluded that 
eliminating the causes of "premature mortality" would be the only
way of continuing current trends of increasing life expectancy.
      
"Risk Factors for Tuberculosis in HIV-Infected Persons"
Journal of the American Medical Association (07/12/95) Vol. 274, 
No. 2, P. 143;  Antonucci, Giorgio;  Girardi, Enrico;  
Raviglione, Mario C. et al.
     Antonucci et al. conducted a multicenter cohort study in Italy to
evaluate factors predictive of active tuberculosis (TB).  In this
article, they analyze how demographic, clinical, and laboratory 
characteristics influence the risk of TB in HIV-infected persons.
They found that being tuberculin-positive, anergic, or having a 
CD4 lymphocyte count either less than 20 or between 20 and 35 
were indicators significantly associated with the risk of TB.  In
the three groups of patients with different levels of skin 
responsiveness, the incidence of TB increased as the level of CD 
lymphocytes decreased.  Such factors as age, sex, place of 
residence, HIV transmission category, and antiretroviral therapy 
were not associated with an increased risk of the disease.  By 
considering both skin test reactivity and CD4 lymphocyte count, 
HIV-infected patients' risk of TB can be more precisely measured.
The researchers propose that regular skin tests in 
tuberculin-negative nonanergic individuals can be useful in 
identifying those who are at high risk for active disease.
      
"...And Says Blood Claims Are 'Simplistic'"
Nature (07/06/95) Vol. 376, No. 6535, P. 5;  Butler, Declan
     France's secretary of state for research recently expressed 
concerns about the handling of the country's contaminated-blood 
scandal.  In the early 1980s, hundreds of hemophiliacs and other 
transfusion recipients became infected with HIV through the use 
of tainted blood products.  Elisabeth Dufourcq described the 
current version of the events as "oversimplified" and "completely
reductionist."  Dufourcq's comments coincided with the first 
battles over an explanation alleging that officials deliberately 
ignored proof that French products were contaminated to avoid 
importing safer substitutes, and delayed introduction of routine 
HIV screening until a French test was available.  Dufourcq said 
the affair was a "collective error," in which much of the 
scientific and medical community must share the blame for not 
recognizing the threat of AIDS earlier.  She added that the 
incident showed the need to educate non-scientists "in the 
rudiments of statistics needed to exercise intelligent 
citizenship."
      
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