                     AIDS Daily Summary
                      October 07, 1994

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 1994, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD

"Survey Finds Most Adults Sexually Staid"
Washington Post (10/07/94) P. A1;  Vobejda, Barbara
     A new study of sexual habits indicates that Americans are less 
sexually active than previously thought and, as a result, AIDS is
not likely to become epidemic in the general population.  The 
study's authors predict that AIDS will stay confined to high 
risk-groups, which include gay men and intravenous drug users.  
The conclusion is based upon the finding that most Americans tend
to have sex with partners from similar educational, religious, 
and economic backgrounds.  Some AIDS experts criticize the 
researchers' prediction because it "could lull people into a very
dangerous sense of security," states June Osborn, professor of 
epidemiology at the University of Michigan and former chair of 
the National Commission on AIDS.  Related Stories: New York Times
(10/07) P. A1; Wall Street Journal (10/07) P. B4; Philadelphia 
Inquirer (10/07) P. A12

"HIV Father with Lover Gets Limited Visitation"
Philadelphia Inquirer (10/07/94) P. A12;  Stuckey, Tom
     David North, an HIV-positive gay man living with his lover, has 
been granted only limited visitation rights to his three 
daughters because the judge does not believe that North can be 
trusted to hide his homosexuality.  This is the first time 
Maryland's Court of Special Appeals has decided whether 
homosexuality is a reason to limit the rights of an otherwise 
good parent.  Kathryn North, North's ex-wife, believes that 
homosexuality is a sin and is worried that her children might 
become HIV-infected from their father--even though medial 
testimony has stated that infection is not possible through 
casual contact.  Her lawyer says that the father's sexual 
preference is not the real issue, which is that North has not 
proven trustworthy because he continued to have sex with his 
former wife after he learned that he was HIV-infected.  The judge
agreed with the lawyer saying "the court finds that the defendant
is not candid, is not responsible and is deceitful.  The court 
will therefore not trust defendant's promise not to display his 
homosexual lifestyle to the children."
      
"Jury Chosen in AIDS Suit by Lawyer"
Philadelphia Inquirer (10/07/94) P. B3;  Slobodzian, Joseph A.
     A jury has been selected in the discrimination case of a lawyer 
who said he was fired by his law firm after his supervisors 
discovered he was HIV-positive.  The jury is made up of 11 women 
and one man, with two female alternates.  Ten of the jurors told 
the court that they or someone close to them had experienced 
discrimination on the job or elsewhere.  Two jurors, both nurses,
said they had worked with HIV or AIDS patients.  Six of the 
jurors selected have seen the movie "Philadelphia," which 
parallels many of the facts in the suit.  They said they could 
separate film fiction from fact and would decide the case 
impartially.
      
"Across the USA: Tennessee"
USA Today (10/07/94) P. 4A
      Gwen McLaughlin must permit her daughters to visit their father,
who lives with his HIV-positive brother.  A federal appeals court
said that McLaughlin could not prove that the two girls are at 
risk of contracting AIDS.
      
"Alarming Spread of AIDS Adds to Honduras' Woes"
Reuters (10/06/94)
     The swift spread of AIDS in Honduras, the second-poorest nation 
in the Western hemisphere, is threatening to develop into an 
epidemic which could obstruct development of the poor Central 
American country.  A total of 5,825 Hondurans are reported to be 
HIV-infected--which accounts for 60 percent of HIV cases in 
Central America.  Government figures show that 920 Hondurans have
died from AIDS-related illness, but some experts say that as many
as 70,000 Hondurans may be HIV-positive and that more than 3,000 
have already died.  "By not controlling the epidemic, Honduras is
following in the tracks of Africa, where productivity and labor 
have been greatly reduced by deaths from this illness," says 
Jorge Fernandez, head of the Honduran health ministry's division 
of sexually transmitted diseases.  Health experts say that the 
increasing number of HIV-infected Hondurans is beginning to 
overwhelm the government.
      
"AIDS Activist, Near Death, to See Family from Cuba"
Reuters (10/06/94)
     Pedro Zamora, a Cuban-American AIDS activist, is nearing a 
meeting with family members he has not seen for 14 years.  
Zamora, 22, was featured on the MTV series "The Real World" and 
has testified before Congress about AIDS.  He was reported near 
death on Thursday, due to AIDS-related complications.  Zamora, 
who immigrated to Florida from Cuba 14 years ago, received help 
from Florida Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, who arranged for Zamora's 
family members to be admitted to the United States.  President 
Clinton called Zamora last Friday to thank him for alerting 
America's young people to the danger of AIDS.
      
"Surgimetrics to Market HIV (AIDS) Testing Kits in South America; Signs Letter of Intent with Laboratory Phoenix, Based in Argentina"
Business Wire (10/06/94)
     Surgimetrics International Ltd. announced that it signed a letter
of intent with Laboratory Phoenix to distribute Surgimetrics' HIV
(AIDS) home screening test kits in South America.  The 
Surgimetrics HIV 1-2 test kit is an inexpensive test that uses 
whole blood, serum, or plasma and provides a 99.2 percent 
accurate result in only six minutes.  Hugh Cooper, president and 
chief executive officer of Surgimetrics, estimated that 500,000 
HIV test kits will be sold during the first year.  Cooper also 
stated that Surgimetrics is negotiating similar marketing 
agreements in Asia, Eastern Europe, and other locations around 
the world.
      
"AIDS: Case: Edwards v. Kuruvilla"
National Law Journal (09/26/94) Vol. 17, No. 4, P. C3
     The parents of a newborn boy in Arizona, who was infected with 
HIV in an after-birth blood transfusion and died six years later,
were awarded $28.7 million in June.  The hospital to which the 
boy was transferred after his birth in 1985, the blood bank that 
supplied the plasma for the transfusion, and the doctor who 
ordered the transfusion were all charged with an unnecessary and 
unauthorized plasma transfusion.  The hospital and the blood bank
settled before the trial, while the doctor's insurance carriers 
settled during post-trial motions.
      
"Preparing for the Day an Employee Says 'I Have AIDS'"
Washington Business Journal (09/23/94-09/29/94) Vol. 13, No. 19, 
P. 21;  Hurwitz, Mark
     The workplace is one of the best places to spread the AIDS 
prevention message because it provides access to both genders and
a cross-section of ages, cultures, ethnicities, and economic 
positions.  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has 
developed a public/private partnership called Business Responds 
to AIDS.  Some of BRTA's principles include establishing a 
workplace HIV/AIDS policy, training managers and labor leaders, 
and educating employees and their families.    AIDS education in 
the workplace has proven so effective in the fight against the 
disease that a year ago President Clinton ordered HIV/AIDS 
training for almost 3 million federal government employees.
      
"APHA Members Suggest Policy Statements to the Association: Syringe and Needle Exchange and HIV Disease"
Nation's Health (09/94) Vol. 24, No. 8, P. 26
     Four groups of policy statements have been proposed by 
constituents and units of the American Public Health Association 
for the APHA to consider for adoption as part of its official 
public policy base.  The fourth group includes a statement on the
relationship of needle exchanges and HIV, which notes the high 
rate of HIV transmission among drug addicts and acknowledges that
the two are linked as epidemics which confront society.  Other 
sections of the statement reflect the constituents' belief that 
needle-exchange programs reduce unsafe needle practices and that 
the programs do not encourage drug use.  It is recommended that 
the federal government end its ban on funding needle-exchange 
programs, that state and local governments take steps to improve 
addicts' access to clean injection equipment, and that syringe 
and needle-exchange programs be evaluated.
      
