                     AIDS Daily Summary
                       June 24, 1994

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
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Copyright 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

"Kelly Faulted in AIDS Official's Exit"
Washington Times (06/24/94) P. C6;  Seigle, Greg
     A group of AIDS activists met for an hour yesterday to air their 
disappointment and frustration following the unexpected 
resignation of Frank Oldham Jr., who in January reluctantly 
accepted an appointment to head the troubled D.C. Agency for 
HIV-AIDS.  Much of the blame was directed at Mayor Sharon 
Pratt-Kelly for what was perceived as her lack of commitment to 
the AIDS fight.  Oldham's reasons for leaving included the "anger
and distress" he encountered in trying to get the mayor to 
address inner-city needs, said one activist.  The activists also 
accused Pratt-Kelly and Vincent Gray, head of the Department of 
Human Services, of creating political barriers and failing to 
adequately staff the agency.  The activists admitted, however, 
that their efforts have been hampered by their own internal 
disputes, and renewed a call to restructure the D.C. Agency for 
HIV-AIDS.
      
"AIDS Patient Wins Job Settlement"
United Press International (06/23/94)
     Shawn Smith, a Chicago man who claimed he was fired from his job 
at Dovenmuehle Mortgage Inc. because he has AIDS, on Wednesday 
reached a settlement with the firm.  He was returned to his 
former position and given $160,000 in back pay and damages, as 
well as health coverage for the rest of his life.  Smith's case 
was one of the first to charge an employer with violating the 
Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination 
against disabled persons.  He said he was dismissed as assistant 
vice president three months after disclosing his condition to a 
supervisor.  Dovenmuehle maintained that Smith was fired not 
because of the disease, but because of his failure to meet a 
project deadline, which forced the company to spend $240,000 to 
meet a rushed deadline.
      
"Anonymity Doubles Requests for HIV Testing"
Toronto Globe and Mail (06/23/94) P. A7;  Coutts, Jane
     There have been twice as many requests for HIV tests in the 
southern Ontario municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth since 
anonymous testing was introduced in 1992.  About 18 people a week
in the region are tested for the virus, up from about eight per 
week prior to anonymous testing, according to public health nurse
Lynn North.  "It's an issue of anonymity," she said.  "People do 
not want to go for a test if they know a positive result means 
their name will be reported to the medical officer of health."  
Physicians are obliged by law to report positive HIV test results
to local medical authorities, except in the two dozen clinics 
approved for anonymous testing.  The Ontario Ministry of Health 
will review assessments of the 24 anonymous test sites this 
summer, and decide whether to approve more, said Frank McGee, 
project officer of the ministry's AIDS Bureau.
      
"Condom Campaign Fails to Increase Sales"
Wall Street Journal (06/23/94) P. B3;  Bird, Laura
     So far, the federal government's campaign promoting condom use 
for the prevention of AIDS has not increased condom sales.  
According to Towne-Oller Association, 137.6 million condoms were 
sold in the four months following the campaign's debut in 
January--virtually the same as in the year-earlier period.  Some 
established brands, such as Trojan, Sheik, and Ramses, have even 
experienced a drop in sales since the debut of the advertising 
campaign.  James Curran, director for HIV and AIDS at the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention, which sponsored the campaign,
says success "can't be measured in a few months, nor can it be 
prematurely dropped."  He notes that condom sales nearly doubled 
in the late 1980s.  In recent years, however, condom use has 
reached a plateau, and Joseph Catania, a behavioral 
epidemiologist at the University of California at San Francisco, 
says this is as good as it gets.  The major problem, he states, 
is that people do not know how to use condoms without feeling 
that they are losing the romance.  Manufacturers say retail sales
may have dipped due to  growing volumes of condoms sold to health
clinics, schools, and other institutions.  Others say many 
consumers simply do not like condoms for either prevention of 
disease or birth control.
      
"Molson Pulls Condom Ad"
Toronto Globe and Mail (06/23/94) P. B1;  Strauss, Marina
     Flooded with dozens of complaints that it seems to be promoting 
sex and condoms, Molson Breweries withdrew an ad featuring a 
packaged condom and the message that if one buys Carling Ice 
discount beer, one will have enough money left over to buy a 
"glove"--a double entendre for condom.  A spokeswoman, Freda 
Colbourne, explained the Molson was only trying to reflect "the 
priority that young people give today to safe and responsible 
sexual relations," and that the ad was pulled because of the 
strong nature of the complaints.  Some callers were offended by 
the picture of the condom; others said the ad suggested that 
drinking beer would lead to sex, and still others said the ad 
encouraged sex.
      
"He'll Take Manhattan"
Advocate (06/14/94) No. 657, P. 14
     Vowing to halt the "business-as-usual" sentiment toward finding 
an AIDS cure, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D.-N.Y.) announced that he 
will introduce the AIDS Cure Act.  The bill will mimic the 
Manhattan Project, a federal effort to develop an atomic bomb 
during World War II.
      
"Health Insurance Coverage Among Persons With AIDS: Results from 
a Multistate Surveillance Project"
American Journal of Public Health (06/94) Vol. 84, No. 6, P. 
1015;  Diaz, Theresa;  Chu, Susan Y.;  Conti, Lisa et al.
     Factors associated with health insurance coverage among AIDS 
patients varied according to current employment status, concluded
a study of 1958 infected people aged 18 or older.  Diaz et al. 
calculated that 25 percent of the survey sample did not have 
insurance, 55 percent had public insurance, and 20 percent had 
private insurance.  Employed AIDS patients whose income fell 
below $10,000 were 3.6 times more likely to have no insurance 
than were those who had higher incomes.  Among unemployed 
persons, those who had been diagnosed with AIDS for less than a 
year were twice as likely to lack health insurance than those who
had been diagnosed for a longer period of time.  Diaz et al. 
conclude that making insurance available to persons identified as
most likely to lack coverage should improve access to care for 
AIDS patients.
      
"Personal Screening for HIV in Developing Countries"
Lancet (06/11/94) Vol. 343, No. 8911, P. 1506;  Frerichs, Ralph R.
     Mertens et al.'s belief that early detection of disease is the 
objective of home HIV screening is slightly off-center, according
to Ralph R. Frerichs.  While Mertens and colleagues tend to focus
on those already infected, Frerichs contends that the primary 
goal of home screening is not only to promote early detection, 
but to prevent HIV transmission from occurring in the first 
place.  Personal screening is one promising option, if sold at 
reasonable prices through pharmacies, food stores, and medical 
clinics.  Encouraging the sale of inexpensive HIV home tests in 
the private sector not only benefits the private sector, but 
services the wider interests of public health as well, according 
to Frerichs.
      
"Proposal for More Rigorous Testing of Sharps Safety Devices 
Draws Strong Protest"
AIDS Alert (06/94) Vol. 9, No. 6, P. 77
     The Food and Drug Administration's drive for proof of the safety 
and effectiveness of sharps injury prevention devices will stifle
innovation, delay approvals, and force health care costs up, 
according to a group of healthcare and manufacturing 
organizations.  Reports on device defects prompted the FDA to 
issue testing guidelines.  The recommendations promote safety 
features which require that workers' hands remain behind the 
needle as it is covered, are an integral part of the device, 
remain activated during disassembly and disposal, and require 
little or no user action or training.  Manufacturers have been 
developing sharps injury prevention devices in response to the 
threat of occupational exposure to HIV, yet only about five to 10
percent of U.S. health care facilities use the devices.  As of 
last December, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
identified 40 cases of occupational spread of HIV, 28 of which 
occurred among nurses and clinical lab technicians.
      
