                     AIDS Daily Summary 
                      December 1, 1993 
                       World AIDS Day


The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National AIDS
Clearinghouse makes available the following information as a public
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Copyright 1993, Information, Inc., Bethesda, MD 


"Depression and AIDS: 2 Conclusions" 
Washington Post (12/01/93) P. A5 
     New studies probing whether depression accelerates the onset of  
AIDS symptoms have produced opposite conclusions.  The John  
Hopkins University study, which found no such effect, has been  
called the more reliable of the two studies.  Analyzing eight  
years of data from 1,809 HIV-positive men who had not  developed  
AIDS, researchers found no significant differences in the decline 
of CD4 lymphocytes among patients who were depressed and patients 
who were not.  Most researchers believe that HIV kills these  
white blood cells and that the lower the count, the more  
susceptible the patient to symptoms.  The second study, conducted 
by a team at the University of California at San Francisco, found 
that CD4 levels among depressed individuals dropped 38 percent  
faster than those of subjects who were not depressed.  The study  
did not, however, establish a link between depression and the  
amount of time from HIV diagnosis to full-blown AIDS or death.   
The UCSF team examined 66 months of data from a smaller sample of 
277 HIV-infected men who had not progressed to AIDS.  According  
to Samuel Perry and Baruch Fishman of Cornell University, the San 
Francisco conclusions, although "intriguing," are less reliable  
than those of the Johns Hopkins study, which looked at more  
subjects over a longer time frame.  When data from both studies  
were combined, the effects found in the UCSF study evaporated,  
they said in an editorial.  All the researchers agree, however,  
that depression should be treated in AIDS patients.  Related  
Story: Baltimore Sun (12/01) P. 9A 
       
"Surgeon General Endorses Condoms to Fight AIDS" 
Washington Post (12/01/93) P. A9  (Brown, DeNeen L.) 
     On the eve of World AIDS Day, U.S. Surgeon General Joycelyn  
Elders urged communities to embark on a massive education  
campaign against the spread of the AIDS virus through the  
distribution and advertisement of condoms.  "We are concerned we  
have not been able to find the magic bullet...to stop the  
disease," Elders said at a news conference at the Whitman-Walker  
Clinic.  "We are concerned we don't have a cure.  That means we  
have to use every means available to stop the spread of this  
disease."  Jim Graham, the clinic's executive director, agreed.   
"We need a bombardment of reminders: You have got to use  
condoms."  Elders' speech was delivered on the eve of World AIDS  
Day, an event established in 1988 to draw worldwide attention to  
the AIDS crisis. 
       
"Paris Obelisk Sports Giant Condom on AIDS Day" 
Reuters (12/01/93) 
     Paris--In observance of World AIDS Day, French demonstrators  
placed a giant pink condom over the obelisk on the Place de la  
Concorde, the largest square in Paris.  The 72-foot condom  
displayed the logo of ACT UP, an AIDS activist organization, as  
well as the logo of Italian clothier Benetton, which has faced  
criticism for its controversial AIDS advertising campaigns.    
"This was the best symbol we could think of for World AIDS Day,"  
said ACT UP spokesperson Philippe Mangeot.  "We're right opposite 
the National Assembly [lower house] which is doing nothing to  
fight the disease."  Benetton funded the event, including the  
making of the condom. 
       
"Burroughs Wellcome Dedicates Memorial on World AIDS Day" 
PR Newswire (12/01/93) 
     Research Triangle Park, N.C.--Burroughs Wellcome, a  
pharmaceutical company on the front line in the AIDS battle,  
today unveiled its AIDS memorial as part of the observance of  
World AIDS Day.  Entitled "Someone is Picking all the Flowers,"  
the four-paneled stained glass window placed in the main lobby of 
the drug firm's South Building, is a tribute to individuals who  
worked with the company and who have died of AIDS.  "The bright  
colors, beauty, and symbolism of the stained glass window provide 
a daily reflection in which all employees can remember  
individuals in their lives who have died from this disease," said 
Fred Gregg, manager of HIV community relations at Burroughs  
Wellcome. 
       
"Day Without Art, Night Without Light Scheduled for AIDS" 
United Press International (11/30/93) 
     World AIDS Day will be marked in America by two big projects: Day 
Without Art and Night Without Light.  Some 5,300 cultural  
institutions nationwide will participate in the former, according 
to Visual AIDS, a non-profit group of art professionals who  
organized the event.  Day Without Art was kicked off on Tuesday  
by the New York Metropolitan Museum, which either removed or  
shrouded in black at least one object from each curatorial  
department.  New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Vienna, London,  
and Montreal are among the international cities that will  
participate in the Night Without Light observance.  The cities  
will darken the decorative lighting of over 400 towers,  
landmarks, and bridges.  In addition, television screens in some  
parts of the United States will go blank for one minute early  
Wednesday evening to commemorate the day.  Related Story: USA  
Today (12/01) P. 1D 
       
"Workshop Opens for Production of Historic Mile-Long Rainbow Flag 
on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1" 
PR Newswire (11/29/93) 
     Pittsburgh--With the Dec. 1 opening of the workshop that will  
produce the largest rainbow flag on earth, World AIDS Day will  
kick off what may be the biggest "grassroots" fundraiser for AIDS 
in recent history.  Gilbert Baker, creator of the first rainbow  
flag, has been commissioned by the Stadtlanders Foundation to  
design and produce this flag, which at one-mile long is three  
times the size of the Empire State Building.  The multi-colored  
flag, a universal symbol of homosexual pride, represents a  
community that has been devastated by the AIDS epidemic.  In New  
York City on June 26, 1994, an expected 10,000 participants from  
across the United States will donate $50 or more to help carry  
the mile-long, 30-foot-wide flag during its one and only  
appearance at the International March on the United Nations to  
Affirm the Human Rights of Gay and Lesbian People.  The "Raise  
The Rainbow" effort is expected to generate $500,000, which will  
be distributed among AIDS service organizations nationwide.   
Corporate sponsor Stadtlanders Pharmacy, a nationwide pharmacy  
specializing in serving the needs of HIV/AIDS patients, is  
underwriting all costs for creation of the rainbow flag so that  
every dollar contributed by marchers can directly benefit the  
foundation. 
       
"UNICEF Presents Youth and AIDS Exhibit" 
PR Newswire (11/26/93) 
     The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will open a  
multi-media exhibition titled "Youth & AIDS: Act Now!" on  
Wednesday, Dec. 1.  The exhibit is one in a series of activities  
planned for the day by the United Nations, the American  
Foundation for AIDS Research, and the World Health Organization  
to mark World AIDS Day.  Liza Minnelli will perform at the  
opening of the exhibit, and U.S. Postmaster General Marvin Runyon 
will present the new AIDS stamp.  Dr. Michael Merson, executive  
director of WHO's global program on AIDS, will also address the  
crowd.  The multi-media exhibit studies the increasing effect of  
HIV on young people, women, and families in both industrialized  
and developing countries.  "The human face of the pandemic is  
overwhelmingly the face of children and youth--as many as  
two-thirds of all HIV infections occur among young people before  
their 25th birthday," said James P. Grant, executive director of  
UNICEF.  WHO predicts that 30-40 million adults and children will 
have been infected with the AIDS virus by the turn of the  
century, and that some 10 million children and adolescents will  
have been orphaned by the epidemic. 
       
"Artists Will Mourn the Havoc Wrought by AIDS" 
Philadelphia Inquirer (11/30/93) P. E1  (Sozanski, Edward) 
     Although it has been dubbed Day Without Art, the observance of  
World AIDS Day in the Philadelphia area will once again employ  
art as a positive force in raising public awareness about the  
epidemic.  On Wednesday, Dec. 1, regional art and AIDS service  
organizations will commemorate the day with special events and  
exhibitions.  Center City will feature an "umbrella procession"  
in which marchers are asked to carry black umbrellas to symbolize 
ignorance about AIDS, as well as hope.  The procession will  
conclude with an unveiling of a poster replica of the new AIDS  
awareness stamp, a reading, and a musical tribute.  Coffeehouses  
and cafes in Center City will sponsor AIDS-related discussions  
and performances throughout the day.  The Franklin Science  
Institute will present "You Bet Your Life," a 20-minute one-act  
play about AIDS in which performers interact directly with the  
audience.  The Philadelphia Museum of Art will open a new exhibit 
of artworks created by artists infected with AIDS.  The largest  
exhibition, which opens at Sande Webster Gallery and the Gallery  
at A.P.F., is Paper Prayers, which refers to the Oriental  
practice of painting prayers on strips of paper to ward off  
disease.  The show will feature some 200 works by more than 100  
artists.  The artworks will be on sale for $100 each, with  
proceeds benefiting Manna, an organization that provides meals to 
housebound AIDS patients. 
       
"Governor Designates AIDS Day in Maryland" 
Baltimore Sun (11/27/93) P. 2B 
     Maryland Gov. William Donald Schaefer has declared Wednesday,  
Dec. 1, as World AIDS Day throughout the state.  Maryland  
motorists who know someone infected with HIV or AIDS, or who knew 
someone who died from the virus are urged to commemorate the day  
by driving with their headlights on during the daylight hours.   
"This simple act should help demonstrate the impact this disease  
has had on our society," Schaefer said.  Highway signs will  
remind drivers to travel with their lights on, and several radio  
traffic reporters will broadcast AIDS Day messages as part of  
their reports.  According to statistics, 7,420 Marylanders have  
been diagnosed with AIDS since 1981, and some 4,300 have died. 
       
"China Sets Up Organization to Fight Spread of AIDS" 
Philadelphia Inquirer (12/01/93) P. A11 
     Conceding that AIDS is spreading in China because of public  
ignorance about what has been long dismissed as a "foreigners'  
disease," the country yesterday established its first nationwide  
anti-AIDS organization.  Statistics released by the newly formed  
National Association of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS  
Control and Prevention, as reported by the official Xinhau news  
agency, shattered the myth of China's invulnerability to AIDS.   
Of 1,159 confirmed HIV carriers in China, 948 are nationals while 
only 211 are foreigners, it said.  Health officials in China and  
abroad say they believe the actual number of infections is much  
higher.  The anti-AIDS organization was set up to help the  
government organize prevention activities, said Health Minister  
Chen Minzhang. 
       
"Health Chiefs Say Russia Keeping AIDS at Bay" 
Reuters (11/29/93)  (Abrams, Hester) 
     Moscow--Only 96 Russians have died of AIDS since 1987 and fears  
of an epidemic there have shown to be unwarranted, health  
officials announced on Monday.  In the past six years,  public  
health authorities registered 691 people as HIV positive, none of 
whom became infected through contaminated blood.  This revelation 
has caused some Moscow doctors and activists to cast doubt on the 
accuracy of official statistics, following World Health  
Organization projections that Russia would experience 12,000 to  
15,000 HIV cases by 1993.  Measures to stop the spread of the  
virus in hospital have been successful, according to various  
health agencies.  Russian production of 1.8 billion disposable  
syringes over the past five years have helped prevent HIV  
infection, said First Deputy Health Minister Alexei Moskvichev.   
"These measures allowed us to exclude the transmission of HIV  
infection through blood," he said.  "All new cases were connected 
with the transmission of HIV through sexual contacts."  The  
country was plagued by scandal in the late 1980s, when hospitals  
re-used needles, resulting in HIV infection of more than 100  
children. 
       
"Iran Says AIDS Kills 62, Up to 5,500 Infected" 
Reuters (11/29/93) 
     Nicosia--Of a population of 60 million, 62 Iranians have died  
from AIDS, 85 more have been diagnosed with the deadly disease,  
and as many as 5,500 are suspected of being infected with the  
virus, reported Deputy Health Minister Hossein Malekafzali, as  
quoted by IRNA, Iran's news agency.  IRNA also quoted the senior  
official as saying that by 1992, about 70 percent of the HIV  
infections had been caused by blood transfusions of tainted blood 
products imported since 1987.  Malekafzali noted that HIV  
infection was more widespread in the northern parts of Iran where 
thalassemia, a blood disorder treated with transfusions, is  
common. 
       
"Germany Launches AIDS Test Advertising Blitz" 
Reuters (11/24/93) 
     Bonn, Germany--In an effort to allay public fears raised by a  
national blood supply scandal, German Health Minister Horst  
Seehofer embarked on an advertising blitz urging millions of  
Germans to receive AIDS testing.  Advertisements declaring tests  
as the fastest way to relieve anxieties caused by allegations of  
an HIV-contaminated blood supply were published in newspapers  
countrywide.  The campaign was launched following a report  
indicating that three-quarters of the German population thought  
AIDS testing was a good idea, and that 15 percent definitely  
intended to be tested themselves, said Annelies Klug, a Health  
Ministry spokesperson.  Three German pharmaceutical companies  
have been shut down in the midst of allegations that they  
inadequately screened blood products for HIV.  So far, 40 cases  
of infection since 1985 have been traced to contaminated blood  
products. 
       
"Indonesia Enrolls HIV Entertainers in AIDS Fight" 
Reuters (11/26/93) 
     Jakarta--Indonesia Friday kicked off an anti-AIDS campaign that  
uses seminars, exhibitions, and a concert featuring HIV-infected  
singers and dancers to promote awareness of the disease.  The  
Indonesian AIDS Foundation, a government-affiliated organization, 
is inviting teens and businesspersons to attend a series of  
events beginning on Dec. 1, World AIDS Day.  The campaign aims to 
show anyone can be infected, and will include an AIDS Solidarity  
Night concert presented by infected performers, according to Nona 
Pooroe Utomo, executive director of the agency.  Utomo says her  
seminars will provide training to businesspersons to develop AIDS 
awareness communication strategies for their own companies.   
Indonesian officials predict that some 500,000 people will be  
infected by 1995.  Although they appear eager to promote the  
dangers of AIDS, fear of Moslem pressure has restricted education 
campaigns urging condom use and limited sexual partners, say aid  
workers.  The government has announced plans in June to increase  
HIV testing, especially among high-risk groups. 
       
"AIDS-Infected Needle Worse Than Weapon, Court Told" 
Reuters (11/24/93) 
     Libson, Portugal--Two youths are in jail after robbing a man with 
the threat of giving him AIDS via an infected needle.  A Lisbon  
court sentenced them to four years in prison for the mugging, in  
which they took $2 from the victim, then used his bank card to  
steal $75 more.  Tests indicated that the syringe used in the  
robbery was not infected with HIV, but the panel of three judges  
ruled that the threat of using it "caused more fear than a [real] 
weapon." 
       
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