dpe1%praxis%wubios@relay.EU.net (David Ellis) (12/12/89)
> > >A couple of weeks ago I sent an article for submission to sci.med.aids. > > >It didn't appear in the newsgroup, so I don't know if it reached you. > > >I don't mind if you decided not to use the article, but I'd like to > > >know that the route's working. > > > > > > It must have not come through. ... > > > no, how was it submitted? I mailed it to aids-request@cs.ucla.edu, same as for the above message. It must have fallen down a hole somewhere. The article is a little out of date now, but you may as well have it anyway. There doesn't seem to be much UK Aids news in the group, and it would be nice to redress the balance. I don't know how much UK news you get over there, but the following item received only scant coverage in the British press. Dave. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ `UK Aids Education Body Disbanded' Recently, 21st November, the UK Health Education Authority (HEA) announced the disbanding of its AIDS division. The following is reproduced, without permission, from `The Independent' [a UK national newspaper]: By Celia Hall, Medical Editor The Health Education Authority decided yesterday to disband its Aids division in a move condemned as down-grading the importance of Aids health education. But the authority denied that there would be any diminution of Aids work; instead it would broaden to include sexual health education. John Dawson, director of the British Medical Association's BMA Aids Foundation said last night: "Any decision to scale down the HEA's work on Aids is to duck its responsibility to the community. The authority has a duty to inform and educate the public on health matters." The announcement comes a week after Lord Kilbracken, the Irish peer, criticised the authority for wasting money on its forthcoming Aids campaign aimed at heterosexuals. But he was criticised in turn for allegedly ignoring the problems posed by people with HIV infection who do not know of their condition. The decision means the authority's new Aids programme will take its place alongside other authority campaigns including heart disease, child health and alcohol. It is understand [sic] that Aids issues will no longer have an expert voice on the authority's executive committee. Spencer Hagard, chief executive of the authority, said there was no proposal to stand down staff or to diminish the Aids budget, which was running at #10m a year. "This is an administrative change giving the Aids programme the same status as our other major programmes." The HEA has run into controversy on several occasions regarding its AIDS education programmes. Earlier this year a planned schools information pack was scrapped, and the copies pulped, after Government intervention, because it contained references to lesbian and gay relationships. In May, health minister David Mellor wrote to the HEA warning them to comply with Government policy, and to inform ministers of all proposed projects. In September, an HEA survey into the sexual habits and attitudes of the British, intended to provide information on the transmission of HIV, was cancelled after a personal intervention by the Prime Minister. Mrs Thatcher felt the survey was unnecessary and intrusive, and cast doubt on whether its findings would be accurate. She was also said to feel that the Government might be `tainted' by association with the survey. Dave. --------------------------------------------------------------------------- David Ellis dpe1@praxis.co.uk <OR> Praxis Systems, Bath, UK. ...!uunet!mcvax!ukc!praxis!dpe1