dmcanzi@watserv1.waterloo.edu (David Canzi) (01/29/91)
Medical News for December 24, 1990 to January 20, 1991
Copyright 1990/1991: USA TODAY/Gannett National Information Network
Reproduced with Permission
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Dec. 24, 1990
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AIDS DISCRIMINATION UP:
A survey conducted by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reveals a
50 percent increase in reported cases of AIDS-related discrimination in 1988
from the previous year. The study, "Epidemic of Fear," released figures
showing that reports of discrimination rose 35 percent faster than did
diagnosed AIDS cases in the same year. Largest discrimination complaint:
employment.
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Dec. 27, 1990
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HELP FOR HEMOPHILIACS:
A genetically engineered form of factor VIII, the clotting agent in blood,
could spare hemophiliacs the risk of contracting AIDS through donated blood,
researchers say. Early in the AIDS epidemic, factor VIII was widely tainted
with HIV, the AIDS virus. Purifying techniques have made factor VIII free of
HIV. The Food and Drug Administration must approve the substance before it can
be sold.
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Jan. 11-13, 1991
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AIDS STUDY WILL NOT WORK:
A nationwide blood-sampling project to determine how many people are
infected with the AIDS virus does not appear workable, said the federal
Centers for Disease Control. Cited: Those who refused to give blood for a
pilot study were more than twice as likely as participants to be at high risk,
meaning the study probably produced a misleadingly low infection level for the
community.
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Jan. 15, 1991
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AIDS VACCINE PROMISING:
The first AIDS vaccine to be tested on humans has passed safety tests but,
like several other vaccines now in the research pipeline, has yet to be proven
effective, says a report in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine. Scientists
working with VaxSyn, developed by MicroGeneSys, Inc., of West Haven, Conn.,
say the vaccine causes few side effects.
QUESTIONS REMAIN WITH VACCINE:
The question that remains with VaxSyn, a new AIDS vaccine, is what kind of
immune responses would actually stop or slow down the AIDS virus. VaxSyn
studies are continuing. (From the USA TODAY Life section.)
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Jan. 16, 1991
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HIV TESTING SHOULD BE OFFERED:
Testing for AIDS virus antibodies should be offered to all pregnant women
in areas where the HIV virus is widespread, says a report by an Institute of
Medicine panel in Washington, D.C. But the report, issued Tuesday, says no
woman should be tested against her will. It also recommends against screening
newborns since many babies who test positive are not actually infected.
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Jan. 18-20, 1991
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DOCTORS WITH AIDS TO INFORM:
Doctors and dentists infected with the AIDS virus should stop doing surgery
or tell their patients about their condition, the American Medical Association
and the American Dental Association said. Cited: federal health officials
confirmed that a Florida dentist, now dead of AIDS himself, very likely
infected at least three of his patients. (For more, see special AIDS package
below.)
SPECIAL PACKAGE ON AIDS:
THEORETICAL TURNED INTO REALITY:
The American Dental Association announced the new AIDS policy because, "The
virtually unthinkable has happened. ... A highly theoretical risk has been
transferred into a real risk," says Enid Neidle, director of scientific
affairs for the Chicago-based group. The AMA, which said its policy was not
new, also urged physicians who think they might be at risk for HIV infection
to get tested.
CHANCES OF INFECTION LOW:
A Center for Disease Controls official stressed that the chances of a
doctor or dentist infecting a patient are still assumed to be very low - much
lower than the risk of an infected patient passing the virus to a healthcare
worker. "We don't think there are hundreds of people infected this way," says
Dr. Harold Jaffe, federal Centers for Disease Control Atlanta.
MEETING TO EXAMINE GUIDELINES:
CDC will sponsor a meeting in Atlanta Feb. 21-22 to consider whether
federal guidelines - which now require health-care workers to protect
themselves and their patients with rubber gloves, masks and various safety
procedures - should change. One possibility: Those who perform surgical
procedures may have to get tested for the AIDS virus. (End of package.)
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Volume 3, Number 39 January 24, 1991
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Editor: David Dodell, D.M.D.
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--
David Canzi "Silencing the racists protects free speech"
Kitchener-Waterloo Record, editorial, Dec. 18, 1990