Widespread Civil Disobedience Launches South African Campaign

A
THE MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF
May/June 2003
“We are diverse people living with HIV, united to promote self-empowerment
and enhanced quality of life for HIV affected individuals through
advocacy, education, peer support, and treatment activism.”
Widespread Civil Disobedience Launches
South African Campaign
Compiled by Jeff Graham
fter months of calling on the South African government to sign and
implement a national AIDS treatment and prevention plan, including
access to antiretrovirals, South Africa’s Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) was
forced to begin escalating their campaign.
This carefully considered decision was made after the persistent refusal of
the government to support access to antiretroviral treatment for the 5 million
South Africans living with HIV, of whom 600 die each day. The campaign itself
was launched on March 20 when 600 TAC members converged at police stations
in Durban, Sharpeville, and Cape Town to charge the South African Minister of
Health and the South African Minister of Finance with homicide for denying
people with HIV access to antiretrovirals. TAC then called on police to arrest the
Ministers.
The response to
these actions was
anything but nonviolent.
Police in
Durban, using water
cannons, tear gas and
batons brutilized
protestors. Several
TAC members are
currently hospitalized
as a result of police
brutality.
These protests
were set to coincide
“We cannot wait any longer for a visible and dynamic response
from the government, business and international community. We
do not need any more reports to tell us what we already know -
HIV/AIDS is killing 600 people a day in this country and ruining
lives and hopes. But with will and commitment this does not have
to happen. With leadership from business and government,
together with labour and communities, it is still possible to save
lives and restore hope.”
— Treatment Action Campaign
with South African Human Rights Day, a national holiday that commemorates
the 1960 peaceful uprising in which thousands of black South African’s turned
themselves over to police custody for the apartheid-era crime of leaving their
passes at home.
On March 25, TAC members disrupted a speech on public health by the Minister of
Health, Dr. Manto Tshabalala-Msimang,
to deliver a statement: “...You have
deceived, misrepresented, delayed and
denied for too long. We hope you will
prove us wrong by making an
unequivocal and irreversible
commitment to anti-retroviral therapy.”
In late April, the next wave of actions
took place including public burials for two
TAC leaders, Edward Mabunda and Charlene
Wilson, and an international day of action on
April 24 and a Health Workers Day of Action
on May 5 and 6.
Some 4.7 million South Africans — one
in nine — are HIV positive, more than any
other country in the world. TAC hopes its
campaign will help prod the government into
committing to provide its people with AIDS
drugs. The government has said it would be
too expensive to provide all infected South
Africans with the drugs. Sparking debate, the
government has also questioned the
effectiveness of treatment.
In This Issue of Survival News
PRIDE Activities ................................................................................................. 3
Making Change ..................................................................................................... 4
SARS and HIV ....................................................................................................... 9
SARS Timeline ...................................................................................................... 10
Living With HIV: ThePrice..........................................................................12

I
Living Well
Gerry Hoyt
ghoyt@aidssurvivalproject.org
Yet Another ‘Costume
Change’
t was two years ago that I began as editor of Survival News. As I re-read my first
editorial, “A New Hat and a New Pair of Shoes”, I am reminded how fortunate I am to be
a part of this place we call ASP. I began as a volunteer peer counselor in 1996. In 1997, I was
hired as the program manager of what was Operation: Survive! (Now, THRIVE! Weekend).
I have had the opportunity to also work with the Peer Counseling Program as well as Advocacy
before becoming editor of this publication. As a matter of fact, I think I have possessed some
five or six different extension numbers while here.
Soon I can be reached at extension 19, as the Treatment Education Program Manager. My
colleague, Dan Dunable has decided to take care of himself and has chosen to volunteer instead
of work in the Treatment Resource Center. It is comforting to me, and I am grateful to know,
that in addition to Dan’s presence as a volunteer, I will have the opportunity to work with
George Burgess who is one of my heroes. This new position will also allow me to read and learn
more about HIV-related treatment issues and have more contact with those utilizing the TRC.
Along with a “costume change” for me will soon come a new office space for ASP, AIDS
Treatment Initiatives and Positive Impact. If all goes as planned, we hope to be in our new space
by June 16 th . This more comfortable and creative space is only two doors up from our present
building on Ralph McGill Boulevard. So, if you would like to help with this move, I am sure
Jeff Smith would love to hear from you! As we get closer to the move date, we will send out
more detailed information. Also, you will notice that this is the May/June issue. So look for
the July/August issue in your mailbox sometime in early July. With all the change going on
here at ASP, we decided to combine these issues at least for the summer.
As I put this last “baby to bed” as editor, I want to thank the folks who make this publication
possible. I will begin by thanking each staff who has a by-line. I have been witness to some
of the most creative and informative articles. I especially want to thank our newsletter
volunteers. I have so enjoyed reading David Salyer’s articles. I consider him one of the best
writers in the HIV Community. Ernie Evangelista who bring us the Chronicles each month is
one of those volunteers who works quietly in the background. However, without his
Enjoy delicious nights out
to benefit
AIDS Survival Project
at Atlanta’s hottest new eaterie
Every Sunday night, May 11 – July 27,
4 pm to 11 pm
20% of your food bill will go to
AIDS Survival Project
Cut out this ad and give it to your
server
(Make a copy of the ad & come back
every week
for the same great offer!)
Thank you to all the folks at
Front Page News &
Tijuana Garage
353 Moreland Ave.
Great Mexican food and drink in a fun atmosphere
(Ample free parking in the buildingand adjacent
lots)
contribution there would not be about fourpages
of national and international HIV-related
news in each SN! Chris Companic is a
fabulous cartoonist who has given us a laugh
at the end of each issue.
Our most recent volunteer, Bob
Brown, is married to Mary Lynn Hemphill
(bet you didn’t know that!). Bob has kindly
(and thoroughly) corrected the errors of many.
Even an editor needs an editor. His delightful
wife and my office mate, Mary Lynn, has
been a source of strength and gentleness as I
type away and talk to myself for at least one week
a month. I appreciate the fact also, that she is not
given to violence since I am sure I am not the
easiest person with whom to share an office!
Thanks to John, Derek and Tran at Printing
Concepts, who have been so patient as I learned
how to produce this publication. Thanks to Rob
and Andrea at Gates Marketing who get SN in the
mail each month.
Finally, I want to thank you, our
membership, who support and read this
publication. Survival News was the first
publication that gave me hope to live again when
I was diagnosed in 1991. It is bittersweet to say
goodnight to this “baby” this time. May we all
continue to live well!
Circulation: 4,000
Gerry Hoyt, Editor
Volunteers and Contributors
Chris Companik Bob Brown
Ernie Evangelista David Salyer
Please direct all correspondence to:
AIDS Survival Project
159 Ralph McGill Blvd NE, Suite 500
Atlanta, GA 30308
Phone: 404-874-7926, Fax: 404-524-2462
TTY: 404-524-0464
Toll Free: 1-877-AIDS-444 (877-243-7444)
Website: www.aidssurvivalproject.org
e-mail: asp@mindspring.com
Member of:
Survival News is produced and published by
AIDS Survival Project which is solely responsible
for its content. If you have articles you would like
to submit, please contact the ASP office during
regular office hours.
PLEASE NOTE: News and resources included in
this publication are for informational purposes only
and do not constitute any endorsement or
recommendation of, or for, any medical treatment
or product by AIDS Survival Project. With regard
to medical information, AIDS Survival Project
recommends that any and all medical treatment you
receive or engage in be discussed thoroughly with a
competent, licensed, and fully AIDS-informed medical
practitioner, preferably your personal physician.
Opinions expressed in various articles of this pulication
are not necessarily those of AIDS Survival Project
members. Any individual's association with AIDS
Survival Project or mention of an individual's name
should not be considered an indication of that person's
health status. Please contact AIDS Survival Project for
permission to duplicate any of the information contained
within this publication. Members can have their issues
sent to them in a sealed envelope by contacting our
office to have this arranged.
Board of Directors
Executive Committee:
Eddie Young, President
Susan Cornutt, Vice-President
Greg Jesse, Treasurer
Joan Campitelli, Secretary
Scott H’Doubler, Member-at-Large
Michael Baker Judi Clark
Jacqueline Muther Barron Segar
Larry Sheldon Mark Tatro
AIDS Survival Project Staff
Jeff Graham, Executive Director
Jeff Smith, Associate Director
Sarah Biel, THRIVE! Weekend
George Burgess, Treatment Resource Center
Dan Dunable, Treatment Resource Center
Greg Carraway, Development Director
Mary Lynn Hemphill, Peer Counseling
Sheryl Johnson, Community Outreach
Rob Nixon, Development Assistant
Share Project Staff
Chauncey Cherry, Project Director
James Austin, Research Associate
Webster Luke, Research Associate
Brenda Ward, Research Assistant
Jackie Cherry, Reseach Assistant
2 SURVIVAL NEWS

The The LiveWell LiveWell Fund
Fund
“Unique individuals and businesses who
know that life is precious and worthy of
unusual gifts...prolonging and enhancing
people’s lives with significant donations to
support education and information access
programs at
AIDS Survival Project:”
Gold Gold LiveWell LiveWell
LiveWell
Sponsors
Sponsors
$5,000 $5,000 - - $9,999
$9,999
Anonymous
Pride Medical
Silver Silver LiveWell
LiveWell
Sponsors
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$2,500 $2,500 - - $4,999
$4,999
Lee Anisman, M. D.
James M. and
Ruth E. Wilder Foundation
Bronze Bronze LiveWell
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$1,000 $1,000 - - $2,499
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Joel Black
Lora Bohannon
Martha Brewer
Kenneth Britt
Joan F. Campitelli
Bill Crawford &
Lisa Swenson
Richard Glass
Deby Glidden
Jeanne & Stephen Gura
Scott H’Doubler
Roy Hill
Richard Hudson, M.D.
Don King
Susan Levy
Jesse R. Peel, M. D.
Larry Sheldon &
Len Greenough
Dr. Tom Sparkman
Mark Tatro
Marty Thompson &
Dr. David Morris
Edward Young
AIDS Survival Project Marks
15 Years at Pride
The days are longer, the sun’s getting
more intense – it’s the time of year for
Atlanta Pride, and AIDS Survival Project is
once again a proud sponsor of the South’s
largest lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender
celebration. We have a particular reason for
pride this year as we mark our anniversary
– 15 years of Advocacy, Self-Empowerment,
and Partnership, bringing vital programs
and services to the community as well as
providing the opportunity for those affected
by the AIDS epidemic to be a powerful
voice for equitable and rational public policy.
As we look back on our history of struggle
and significant accomplishments, we
recognize that although AIDS was never a
disease confined exclusively to gay men, it
is equally important to acknowledge the
significant toll HIV has had upon the LGBT
community. It’s also vital that we never
forget it was this community, before all
others, that banded
together to fight the
epidemic.
Thousands of people
have volunteered
their time, talents and
resources to this
cause and to make the
agency what it is
today. We hope you
will join them, and
us, as we mark this
important milestone in our history and look
ahead to the crucial work we face in the future.
So we hope to see you in Piedmont Park, June
27 – 29, as the 2003 Atlanta Pride festival
celebrates the “Freedom to Be.”
Freedom to Remember
Pride is a time for celebration of our
sexual identity and a chance to revel in the
spirit of community. This year, AIDS Survival
Project, in conjunction with the Atlanta Lesbian
Cancer Initiative, is sponsoring a new event to
kick-off the weekend. The Pride Vigil is an
opportunity for all members of our community
to come together to reflect, remember and
celebrate the contributions of our friends and
family members who are no longer with us.
While the epidemics of AIDS and cancer
continue to take a disproportionate toll on the
LGBT community, both agencies want to pay
tribute to the memories of all whose presence
will be missed at Pride this year. Combining
readings, reflections, and music from the
By Rob Nixon
Atlanta Feminist Women’s Chorus, the Pride
Vigil will take us back to the time before
Stonewall and up to the present day.
The evening promises to be an
opportunity to cherish the memories of loved
ones and celebrate the everyday people
whose strength and commitment have
brought hope to us all. Join us on Friday,
June 27, 7:30 p.m., in Piedmont Park at the
Verizon Acoustic Stage (near the Charles
Allen entrance). If you would like to
volunteer with the Vigil, please contact Gerry
Hoyt (404-874-7926, ext. 13;
ghoyt@aidssurvivalproject.org).
Freedom to Reach Out
The Pride Market is a great place to
shop, eat, meet friends old and new, but it’s
also a great place to learn and to educate.
Every year, thousands of individuals gain
information on community resources as they
walk through the
market. The AIDS
Survival Project
booth will have
materials on our
programs and
services, how to
become an effective
advocate for yourself,
and ways to volunteer
to help us continue
with strength into the
future. We’ll also have a fun display honoring
our history and all those who have been a part
of AIDS Survival Project over the years. If
you would like to assist us with setting up the
booth, staffing it, and greeting all those who
stop by to learn about us, please contact Jeff
Smith (404-874-7926, ext. 20;
jsmith@aidssurvivalproject.org) to sign up
for a volunteer shift.
Freedom to Strut Your Stuff
On Sunday, June 29, we are inviting our
friends and supporters to march with us in the
Pride Parade and celebrate the spirit of
community empowerment and dedication
displayed by people living with HIV and their
supporters. We will gather at the Civic Center
MARTA station on West Peachtree at 11:30
am. Individuals can choose to march or ride
on our float. And we’ll have some fun anniversarythemed
hand fans to keep you cool! Volunteers
are needed to decorate the float – if you can help
out, contact Jeff Smith.
May/June 2003 3

Peer
Counseling
Perspecives
Mary Lynn Hemphill,
LMSW
mlhemphill@aidssurvivalproject.org
Making Change
Most of us would like to make some
changes in our lives. New Year’s resolutions
are the most common acknowledgement in
our culture of the acceptability and value of
seeking to improve our behaviors and life
situations through conscious change. Spend
an hour watching television or reading a
popular magazine or newspaper and you
will be inundated with advertisements and
articles that promise you a change in your
life through a particular product or service.
Advertisements for credit cards that buy
you “priceless” happiness, cars that
bestow acceptance into the social
group of your choice and
pharmaceuticals that make you
happier, thinner or more buff, more
active and younger promise
immediate change in your or your
loved ones lives.
While quick, stress-free
change looks appealing and easy
(if you have enough money) the
truth is that change does not come
easily to most people. Often, we
don’t feel like we get to select change –
instead we feel like change happens to us
and then we react to it. As it’s been said,
some people change when they see the light,
others when they feel the heat. Medical
problems often cause us to consider the
need for some change in our lives. The
change may sound simple, such as taking
one antibiotic pill a day for seven days or it
may sound much more complex, like taking
combination antiretroviral therapy plus
interleukin injections with frequent
bloodwork for treatment of HIV and hepatitis
C. Medical consumers, health care
advocates, public health educators and
medical professionals all try to understand
how to facilitate behavior changes that allow
us to be healthier. Whether we like change
or not, it’s built into our lives. What
behavioral science has learned about how
successful changes occur is of value to each
of us.
Basic counseling skills training for peer
counselors at AIDS Survival Project teaches
us that what we are really learning is to
understand what our members want to
change in their lives and how to then be
helpful in the development of a plan to make
that change appropriate, effective and long
lasting – not a simple task! The model we
use is called the Stages of Change Theory.
It was developed specifically in response to
the need to promote lifelong changes in
health-related behaviors. It is useful for a
peer counselor working with someone trying
to adhere to a complicated treatment
regimen, a friend or family member
struggling to deal with an addicted person or
for us to reflect on when we want to make a
change in any aspect of our own life. I invite
you to consider a change you’ve consciously
made in your life or one you would like to
create in the framework of this theory. It
can provide encouragement, a map and grace
if you feel impatient about the speed or
success of the change that you seek.
The Stages of Change Theory as
described by Prochaska, DiClemente and
While quick, stress-free change looks appealing and easy
(if you have enough money) the truth is that change does
not come easily to most people. Often, we don’t feel like
we get to select change – instead we feel like change
happens to us and then we react to it. As it’s been said,
some people change when they see the light, others when
they feel the heat.
Norcross has five stages. The length of the
stages and the process of moving from one
to the other (including sometimes back to an
earlier one!) vary from one person to another.
The first stage is Precontemplation. During
this period a person does not identify
themselves as having a particular problem
(although others around them might), so the
person has no thoughts or intention of
change. In the period of Contemplation a
person realizes that there is something they
want or need to change. Now the person
begins to think about what the problem is
and how they feel about it. Their awareness
is heightened and they are sensitive to
information related to a certain behavior.
From here a person may move to Preparation
for Action, when they come to a decision to
make a change in a relatively short period of
time (around a month) and may begin to
make plans of how they will enact a new
behavior. When someone moves into the
Action stage they are consistently engaging
in the behavior that they want to have become
a new part of their life. The Maintenance
stage is reached when the person is fully
carrying out their new behavior for longer
than six months.
Few changes in our lives go quite as
smoothly as this very, very simplified
description of the theory might seem to
imply. If you’ve ever tried to quit smoking,
for instance, you’ve probably experienced
every one of these stages, plus one called
Recycling, where you’ve returned to an
earlier stage, such as smoking again (but
feeling more guilty!). Many people struggle
with a behavior such as smoking throughout
their lives, moving throughout these stages,
each time a little differently. In terms of
smoking cessation, people often try different
techniques in the Preparation and Action
stages, such as using a nicotine patch,
aversion therapy, positive reinforcement or
limiting the number of cigarettes or the
places where they smoke.
Understanding that behavior changes
occur through stages can be enlightening to
people managing their HIV infection.
As people infected or affected by
HIV we can give each other and
ourselves the support we need to
make constructive, long lasting
changes by providing time, support,
knowledge and encouragement to
develop healthier habits. The
practice of consistent adherence to
medication schedules, safer sex
--Mary Lynn Hemphill techniques, good nutrition, stress
relief, recovery from addictions and
healthy self-care skills do not emerge
fully formed. These practices take time,
patience and resilience because they develop
through change. Next month this column
will share some of the methods that
encourage conscious change.
The Grady Infectious Disease
Program (IDP)
has a new
Client Advisory Committee.
Any IDP client is invited to
participate.
Meetings are held on the first
Thursday of each month at
1:00 p. m. in the P- 40
Conference Room.
The IDP is located at 341
Ponde de Leon Avenue,
Atlanta, GA
For further details call
Carla Johnson at
404-616-9740
4 SURVIVAL NEWS

The Resource
Train
Sarah Biel-Cunningham,
MSW
sbiel@aidssurvivalproject.org
A system of support is crucial for
individuals living with HIV to strengthen
their coping strategies when dealing with
this disease. This support is often provided
by informal caregivers who give individuals
living with HIV with physical, emotional
and spiritual care in dealing with the effects
of HIV on their daily lives. These informal
caregivers include significant others, parents,
siblings, children and friends. Being a
caregiver can be a most rewarding
experience. There is a feeling of fulfillment;
which comes from being able to support the
HIV-positive person during
difficult times. This shared
experience makes the hardships
of the process more bearable. We
recognize the importance of social
support system for individuals
living with HIV, however there is
also a necessity to understand the
need for asuch a system for the caregiver.
Providing care for someone with HIV can
be a stressful experience making a network
for caregivers a crucial component of
buffering the process of giving care.
Social support is an important buffer
for caregivers of people living with HIV/
AIDS. In an article entitled “Caregivers’
Experiences of Informal Support in the
Context of HIV/AIDS”, the research
explores aspects of the caregivers’
experiences and identifies that stress for
caregivers is a result of not fully
understanding the changes that occur with
HIV. Caregivers do not necessarily
understand the impact HIV can have on the
body. This lack of information can create a
potentially stressful situation between the
person being cared for and the person giving
care. The research acknowledges that this
directly results in withdrawal of the caregiver
from his or her social network because of
what is perceived by the caregiver as a
stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS and fear of
discrimination and ostracism.
Unfortunately, there are only a limited
number of resources specifically designed
to help the caregiver deal with the effects of
HIV. Many of the support systems available
deal broadly with caregivers in general and
are not specifically related to individuals
who are caregivers for people living with
The Support Needs of Caregivers
HIV. According to “The Impact of HIV on
Caregivers”-- an article discussing the
support needs of caregivers working with
individuals who are living with HIV--often
information and resources from Alzheimer’s
organizations were applied to caregivers of
individuals who are HIV-positive. While
this is important information for those who
need a basic understanding of being a
caregiver, the generalization from other
populations to individuals living with HIV
is not always appropriate. For example,
there is a marked difference in age among
the two groups. Individuals living with
HIV/AIDS most are often younger than
those who suffer from Alzheimer’s. Also,
medical information about HIV changes
more frequently than medical information
Social support is an important buffer for caregivers of people
living with HIV/AIDS.
--Sarah Biel-Cunningham
related to Alzheimer’s making it difficult
for a caregiver to stay abreast on the new
medical information available. Another
factor inhibiting generalization is HIV/AIDS
also carries a stigma not attached to other
diseases. There are several reasons why
support networks for caregivers working
with individuals who are HIV-positive must
be developed to specific account for these
issues specific to HIV.
Limited choices for accessing the external
support means there is no support system
which addresses the needs of caregivers
working with individuals who are HIV. For
this reason, many caregivers are turning
towards an informal system made up of one or
two confidants whom they feel can be trusted
with the stresses happening within their lives.
The need to model a community care system
has become necessary. The support of a
community in which a caregiver may feel
accepted and comfortable will allow them
to access the support needed to buffer the
stresses experienced from such a role.
Through the support of a community
individual caregivershave the opportunity
to become educated about HIV; thus helping
dispel some of their fears about HIV and
allowing them to become more open in
other parts of their lives. Such community
support has the potential to broaden the
informal support network.
I would be remiss if I didn’t take an
opportunity to mention one resource for
caregivers that is available within our
community. THRIVE! Weekend is an
educational weekend the goal of which is to
inform to the community about HIV while
providing an open and accepting environment
for individuals to their informal support
network. The information provided during
THRIVE! Weekend is not only meant for
individuals living with HIV. We encourage
family, friends, caregivers and community
members to experience our educational
weekend to learn more about HIV/AIDS.
As mentioned above, one of the leading
causes of stress for caregivers is not
understanding HIV, the effects HIV has on the
body and not knowing what one can do to help
counteract these effects.
During the weekend, there is
also the opportunity to meet
other individuals who may
be in the same position as
you. There is a breakout group
called Family, Friends, and
Caregivers with a underlying
theme of helping caregivers care for themselves
so that they can better care for other. This is a
prime opportunity to help caregivers that realize
there is an informal support network out there
in that community which understands and
works to help those who are living with HIV.
I encourage you to come to THRIVE! to
experience the support available to help
everyone, even those caring for others!
Common Ground
1053 Juniper Street
Atlanta, GA 30309
Daily Group Session
11:00 a.m.until Noon
with lunch following
&
Tuesdays
1:00 p.m.
Group Psychotherapy
with Dr. Jennifer Smith
&
Thursdays
2:00 p.m.
LaGender Group for Transgendered
and those interested.
&
Fridays
10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. individual
Counseling Sessions
by Dr. Lewis Myers
For further information call:
Michael Brunson at
404-874-6425
May/June 2003 5

Reaching
Out!
Sheryl Johnson
sjohnson@aidssurvivalproject.org
May is the time of year we celebrate all
mothers and this month I want to talk about
some issus surrounding HIV/AIDS that have
particular relevance for mothers. Recently,
the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
announced a new strategy urging HIV testing
for all pregnant women. Dr. Julie Gerberding
has said in a recent interview that “with the
number of new HIV cases hovering around
40,000 annually. . .it is time for physicians
to screen for HIV in the same way they do
for other [chronic] conditions such as
diabetes or hypertension”. Dr. Anthony
Fauci, director of the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases notes, “the
guidelines represent a much more aggressive
approach toward HIV prevention, nationally.
We know that the majority of people,
when they know they’re infected will
become much more careful with their
sexual partners. Testing is the gateway
to a realization of the problem” (New
York Times, April 17, 2003)
These guidelines represent a
current trend toward focusing on
women and their particular treatment
issues. Perinatal transmission is not
the only issue that concerns women and
especially those infected with HIV/AIDS.
Other topics that are currently under
investigation include: transmission of HIV
through breastfeeding, Co-infection of HIV
and Herpes Virus 8 (HHV-8), immune
responses to an HIV vaccine in infants born
to infected mothers, inflammation in the
female genital tract and vaginal HIV viral
shedding, and bone mineral density in HIVinfected
women. In addition, there is a
growing campaign to bring attention to the
potential development of microbicides for
use in vaginal protection against HIV
infection.
Investigation of this subject alone is turning
the contraceptive world on its ear as women see
the opportunity to have a greater say in protecting
themselves from getting infected.
With statistics regarding infection rates
from heterosexual contact steadily on the
rise, researchers are paying more attention
to factors such as; viral load level of the
male partner, the presence of sexually
transmitted diseases (STDs) and genital
ulcers in either partner, trauma during
intercourse, cervical ectopy and
circumcision status of the male partner. The
question of whether or not oral
contraceptives increase the risk for infection
is also being examined. How HIV is affected
by the aging process, including the onset of
menopause is yet another question for which
there are no set answers.
With all this to consider, there is a
woman here in Atlanta, who has taken on as
her mission the task of educating people,
especially those of African descent, with
the goal of decreasing HIV statistics and
promoting healthy life choices. I am
speaking of Zina Age and her nonprofit
company, ANIZ, Inc. (that’s Zina spelled
backwards). Zina established her
organization as a 501c3 entity that would
empower children and adults, providing
professional support and therapeutic
intervention. A primary goal of ANIZ is to
be a resource to African-Americans as well
as other underserved populations and to
those organizations dedicated to meeting
their needs. ANIZ maintains that “as
African-American mental health
professionals, we know the needs, we
understand the barriers and we know how to
affect change within our community”.
ANIZ’s programs include ROSHA:
Reaching Out to Sisters with HIV/AIDS;
AFLASH: Adolescent Females Learning
About Healthy Living; MOHSS: Men of
Hope Social Service Program; Mental Health
Services; Substance Abuse Supportive
Services; Screening and Assessment; groups
for HIV infected/affected youth; children’s
education, risk reduction and therapeutic
intervention; case management services;
respite care for children; health education
information; grief and loss services and
program development. They have also
recently started a support group initiative
for members of the transgendered
community and their supporters.
Although I would like to highlight them
all, I must adhere to space considerations.
However I would like provide detailed
ANIZ Offers Support
A primary goal of ANIZ is to be a resource to African-
Americans as well as other underserved populations and
to those organizations dedicated to meeting their needs.
--Sheryl Johnson
information about a few of ANIZ’s
programs;
AFLASH is a gender-specific HIV/
AIDS prevention/risk reduction program
for females at risk for HIV/AIDS and other
sexually transmitted diseases. AFLASH
touches the lives of young women through
intensive risk reduction education and
intervention. The program encompasses
individual counseling, focused small group
sessions, risk assessment and HIV testing to
provide the support young women need to
identify and alter behavior that puts them at
risk of contracting HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases.
ROSHA is an innovative program
created by Aniz to support HIV positive
African American women dealing with
substance abuse and mental health issues.
ROSHA’s no cost, integrative substance
abuse and mental health program is offered
three days a week. Free childcare for minor
children is provided when necessary.
“We Want to Know” is a six-week
prevention education program designed
to increase HIV/AIDS knowledge and
awareness among youth ages 5-16. “We
Want to Know” operates on the premise
that young people have a right to know
the truth about this devastating disease
and it’s potential to rob them of their
health and their youthful innocence.
Groups for HIV Infected/Affected
Youth - these are support groups specifically
designed to provide a safe haven for HIV
infected/affected youth. Children (ages 5-
12) and teenagers (ages 13-17) gather to
discuss the challenges presented by HIV,
receive critical HIV/AIDS education and
offer support to one another. Professional
staff facilitate emotional support and
guidance to youth seeking a safe and
supportive environment in which to grow
and heal.
Finally, as an organization focused on
HIV/AIDS, ANIZ fully understands the
importance of facing grief and loss. Their
grief and loss program includes supportive
therapy for individuals and their families.
Therapy and pre-planning support helps
individuals and families cope with a terminal
illness and with death. Family, individual
and group therapy is also effective for
working with and through the grief that
comes after the death of a loved one. ANIZ’s
grief and loss services address the additional
stress that loss places on individuals living
with HIV/AIDS and substance abuse.
6 SURVIVAL NEWS

Cruising with
Lazarus
David Salyer
cubscout@mindspring.com
Rolling Stone is an odd magazine –
sort of a rock/pop/rap biweekly featuring
music news and interviews along with
regular investigative reports on subjects
as diverse as heroin use and presidential
elections. It’s always been a publishing
hybrid in search of relevancy and prestige,
not unlike Playboy – a magazine that’s
really all about naked women and sex
despite regular bits of serious journalism.
Some men claim to read Playboy for the
articles; how lucky for them that the words
are squeezed between photos of airbrushed
babes in their
birthday suits.
Similarly, Rolling
Stone tends to feature
pop and hip-hop stars
wearing next-tonothing
while
simultaneously
running articles
designed to give the
magazine an illusion of substance and
depth. It’s a rather calculated pitch for
relevance that, more often than not, reeks
of desperation.
Take Rolling Stone’s February 6th
issue, for instance. Shania Twain graces
the cover. Directly to the right of her
exposed navel and slightly higher than
her awfully short skirt, is a little graphic
touting a special report on “bug chasers,”
gay men who say they want to get infected
with HIV. Yes, these men exist. It’s a
minor phenomenon of the last decade.
It’s real. It’s controversial. HIV
prevention advocates and public health
officials acknowledged “bug chasers” at
least four years ago. Credible studies
estimate that one to two percent of infected
gay men sought out infection, nearly
always in rash behavioral decisions that
they later regretted. Oops. That sage
medical journal, Rolling Stone, doesn’t
care much about any of that…unless
twisting and distorting it can generate
greater newsstand sales.
Rolling Stone’s bug chaser article was
written by Gregory A. Freeman, a married
freelance writer and former Associated
Press employee currently living in
H I VIEWPOINTS
Chasing Bugs or the Truth?
Roswell, Georgia. According to
Freeman’s bio, he’s “an award-winning
writer with 20 years experience in
journalism and historical nonfiction.” A
graduate of the University of Georgia and
author of two books, his publicist asserts
that “Freeman’s books are scrupulously
researched and entirely factual, yet they
read more like novels because he weaves
the personal stories of his subjects into a
compelling narrative.” Hmmm.
According to Freeman’s Rolling
Stone article, a mind-boggling 25 percent
of new gay male HIV infections are due to
bug chasing. And Freeman bases that
astonishing statistic on one doctor’s
completely unsubstantiated estimate. That
doctor, Bob Cabaj, is a psychiatrist and
Freeman’s story has completely fallen apart. How many actual bug chasers did he
interview? A grand total of two, one of who is undeniably mentally disturbed and quoted
under a pseudonym – hardly representative of a trend.
--David Salyer
Director of Behavioral Health Services
for San Francisco County. Within days of
publication, Cabaj denied giving Freeman
the 25 percent figure. Admitting he has
conducted no studies on the matter and
has no hard data, Cabaj told Newsweek,
“That’s totally false. I never said that.” Is
there a study to support that 25 percent
figure? Nope.
It gets worse. Dr. Marshall Forstein
of Boston, quoted by Freeman as saying
that “bug chasers are seen regularly in the
Fenway health system, and the
phenomenon is growing,” declares the
quote “is entirely a fabrication.” Forstein
reports he actually told Freeman, “We
have seen a few cases, but we have no idea
how common this is.” Who do we believe?
Conveniently, Freeman did not tape his
conversations with the doctors, suggesting
maybe his memory and his notes aren’t as
specific as he’d like the general public to
believe.
Freeman’s story has completely fallen
apart. How many actual bug chasers did
he interview? A grand total of two, one of
who is undeniably mentally disturbed and
quoted under a pseudonym – hardly
representative of a trend. Freeman’s article
consists of one anonymous source; one
named source; two doctor’s completely
unsubstantiated remarks; and lurid details
from some Internet websites (the kind of
websites where virtually all gay men are
hot and generously endowed). When the
only two medical professionals you quote
both claim to have been grievously
misquoted and none of the major AIDS
and gay activists interviewed agree that
bug chasing is a major phenomenon, let
alone responsible for 25 percent of all
new HIV infections, you don’t have a
story. Appa rently, that did not deter
Gregory Freeman from making one up.
That aside, Freeman’s estimate of the
number of bug chaser-related cases of
HIV infection ultimately discredits him.
The Centers for
Disease Control
(CDC) reports that
there are roughly
40,000 new HIV
infections in the
United States each
year. For his
calculations,
Freeman uses the
made up 25 percent figure and merely
applies it to the CDC’s 40,000 statistic.
From that, he concludes that 10,000 gay
men a year are deliberately getting infected
with HIV.
Apparently, Freeman failed to realize
the 40,000 statistic is for all people, male
and female, regardless of sexual
orientation. According to the CDC, maleto-male
infections only make up 42 percent
of the overall 40,000, or roughly 16,800.
Not only does Freeman’s 25 percent figure
have no basis in reality, but he also applies
it to a statistic he doesn’t even understand.
America’s mainstream media has
never been very good at reporting on HIV.
Gregory Freeman’s Rolling Stone article
on bug chasers is a vivid example of how
not to write a story about HIV, and yet it’s
typical. The interpretation of HIV
statistics requires scientific precision;
Freeman is all about buzzwords, faulty
number crunching and groundless
conclusions.
Note to Mr. Freeman: In the future,
tape your interviews, leave the stories
about HIV and gay men to qualified
continued on page 8
May/June 2003 7

Bugs, continued from page 7
journalists and consider writing about
cars or sports or Victoria’s Secret models
from now on…unless your goal is to
develop a reputation as a unethical,
homophobic dumb ass.
Why would Rolling Stone print such
a shamefully distorted article full of
fabricated quotes and fake science?
Having already lost its identity and now
losing readers to hipper publications,
Rolling Stone is using shoddy journalism
and semi-naked pop stars to generate
interest. Bug chasers are real and the
phenomenon deserves scrutiny. Who
are these guys that want HIV in their
bodies? Are they confused individuals
who put too much faith in today’s HIV
treatments? Or desperately lonely guys
who would trade their health for any
kind of intimacy or sense of belonging?
Do they believe HIV infection is
inevitable anyway and have given up
on safer sex? Are they self-loathing?
Mentally ill? Why would they
knowingly put themselves in harm’s
way? Are they hedonistic guys who just
EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
FOR WOMEN ONLY
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED FOR HUMAN
PAPILLOMAVIRUS (HPV) RESEARCH STUDY
Are you:
• HIV positive?
• Age 18 or older?
• Someone never having been on HIV drugs but
willing to start witrhin
14 days of entering the study?
• without a history of cirvical cancer?
Women with HIV often have another virus called the human
papillomavirus (HPV), which can cause genital infections,
warts and cervical cancer.
You are invited to participate in a 3-5 year research study to learn if
taking HIV drugs will affect the HPV in women who have just started
taking Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy (HAART) for the first time.
If you have HPV now, the study will look to see if your HIV drugs have
any effect on the amount of HPV in your body. If you do not have HPV
now, the study will look to see if you get HPV while taking HIV drugs.
Pap smears will be done at each study visit and volunteers will be
compensated for their time.
For more information contact:
Dale P. Maddox, LCSW
404/616-6333
Ponce IDP Center
341 Ponce de Leon
3 rd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
don’t care about anything beyond their
next orgasm? Rolling Stone was not
compelled to explore those possibilities.
The editor and publisher opted to print a
preposterous, wildly exaggerated piece of
crap that could only be relevant to right
wing, fundamentalist, gay-hating crazies
looking for a new opportunity to denigrate
homosexuals and call for AIDS funding
cuts.
Note to Rolling Stone: stick to
reviewing CDs and interviewing boy band
members – or better yet, let’s hear you
expound upon whatever lurid logic or
compulsion makes pop divas like Shania
Twain and Britney Spears tart themselves
up like hookers for an appearance on
your cover. Sounds juicy!
David Salyer is an HIV-positive
journalist and AIDS educator living in
Atlanta, Georgia. He is a Georgia cochair
of the Global Campaign for
Microbicides, leads safer sex
presentations for men and has facilitated
workshops for people infected or affected
by HIV since 1994. Reach him by e-mail at
cubscout@mindspring.com.
AIDS
SURVIVAL
PROJECT
EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
Are you:
• HIV Positive?
• 18 years of age or older?
• Been on anti-HIV drugs for at least one year ?
• Have taken a protease inhibitor for at least 12 weeks ?
• HIV viral load is greater than 5000 copies?
• Not taken both Agenerase and Kaletra?
The Emory AIDS Clinical Trials Unit is studying three different HIV drug combinations to
see which one works better to fight HIV. One drug regimen contains three
protease inhibitors (PI) and the others contain two PI’s. Each
combination will be taken with one or two nucleoside drugs (NRTIs) that
are chosen by your doctor. The NRTIs are not provided by the study.
Volunteers will receive either:
1) Kaletra + Viread (tenofovir) and one or two other nucleoside
drugs.
2) GW433908 +Norvir (ritonavir) +Viread + one or two other drugs.
3) Kaletra + GW433908 + Viread + one or two other drugs.
NOTE: GW433908 is a new form of amprenavir (AgeneraseTM) that
includes smaller and fewer pills than the current AgeneraseTM, but it has
not been FDA-approved.
This 48-week reseach
study is now seeking
volunteers to enroll!
For more information
contact:
Dale P. Maddox, LCSW
404/616-6333
Ponce IDP Center
341 Ponce de Leon
3 rd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
8 SURVIVAL NEWS

Treatment
News
Dan Dunable
ddunable@aidssurvivalproject.org
SARS and HIV
SARS, or severe acute respiratory
syndrome, is a respiratory illness that
has been reported in 28 countries as of
press time for this issue of Survival
News. At this time there have been over
5000 probable cases of SARS reported,
with 321 deaths believed to be caused
by this illness.
SARS has not yet been associated
with HIV, however it is logical to assume
that individuals with compromised
immune systems will be more
susceptible to SARS should they become
exposed to it. Luc Montagnier, the
French biologist who was the joint
discoverer of HIV, and the president of
the World Foundation for
AIDS Research and
Prevention, spoke about
SARS during a press
conference in Tokyo on April
21, where he expressed fear
that the death rates from
SARS will be much higher
among people who also have
HIV/AIDS. Montagnier also
suggested that people exposed to the
virus should reinforce their immune
system with antioxidants and immunostimulants.
Ray Yip, head of AIDS prevention
for the UNICEF China office has said
that if SARS hits areas populated with
high rates of HIV-infected individuals,
those individuals who are HIV-positive
will quickly die from the combined
viruses. Hu Jia, executive director of
the Beijing-based AIDS prevention
group, Aizhixing Institute of Health
Education has stated that the death rates
from SARS may be approximately 4%
(as of mid-April), but if it gets to AIDS
villages in China, it could jump to as
high as 30-40%.
How is SARS Spread?
It is currently believed that SARS is
spread by close person-to-person
contact, with most cases of SARS
involving people who care for or live
THE TREATMENT PAGES
with someone with the illness, or who
had direct contact with infectious
materials from a person who has SARS.
According to the CDC, potential ways
in which SARS can be spread include
touching the skin of other people or
objects that are contaminated with
infectious droplets and then touching
your eyes, nose or mouth.
So far, it is believed that people
who have SARS are most likely to be
infectious when they have symptoms,
such as fever and/or cough. However,
it is not known how long before or after
these symptoms occur that patients
might be able to transmit the disease to
other individuals.
In the United States, most cases of
SARS are directly attributable to people
who have either traveled to one of the
countries having the highest number of
suspected cases of SARS, most notably
China, or having come in direct contact
with an infected person.
SARS has not yet been associated with HIV, however it is
logical to assume that individuals with compromised immune
systems will be more susceptible to SARS should they become
exposed to it.
--Dan Dunable
What are the symptoms of SARS?
SARS usually begins with a fever
greater than 100.4 degrees Fahrenheit,
sometimes accompanied by chills,
headache, general feeling of discomfort
and body aches. After 2 to 7 days,
SARS patients may also develop a dry,
non-productive cough. In a small
percentage of these cases, 10 – 20
percent, patients may progress to a point
where insufficient oxygen is getting to
the blood and they require mechanical
ventilation.
What is the cause of SARS?
It is believed that a type of virus
called a coronavirus is the cause of
SARS. Coronaviruses are a common
cause of mild to moderate upperrespiratory
illness in people. Scientists
have found a new coronavirus in
patients with SARS, and this is currently
believed to be the cause of SARS,
however other viruses are still under
investigation as possible causes of
SARS.
How is SARS treated?
Currently, it is not known what the
best treatment is for SARS. Some areas
have tried antivirals such as oseltamivir
or ribavirin, but with no clinical trials to
date, the effectiveness of these regimens
are still unknown. Early information
reported by the CDC suggests that
ribavirin does not inhibit virus growth.
Additional laboratory testing of
ribavirin and other antiviral drugs is
being done. Many researchers and
laboratories that have been dedicated to
HIV treatment research are now being
used for research into the treatment of
SARS.
How can we protect ourselves form
SARS?
The main protection is to avoid close
contact with someone who already has
SARS. Cases of SARS are reported
primarily among people who
have direct close contact with
and infected person, such as
those sharing a household and
health-care workers caring for
those infected. There are now
standard infection control
procedures recommended for
health-care workers to avoid
further transmission of the virus.
Transmission has frequently
occurred in those people who have
traveled to areas where SARS is in
higher numbers, primarily Hong Kong,
Hanoi, Singapore and Mainland China.
There have been numerous travel
advisories recommending that travelers
postpone all nonessential travel to these
areas. For additional information about
travel advisories and alerts, visit the CDC
and WHO websites listed below .
(Also, see SARS Timeline on page 10)
For Further
Information:
Centers for Disease Control SARS
site http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/
sars/
World Health Organization SARS
site /en/” http://www.who.int/csr/
sars/en/.
May/June 2003 9

November 16, 2003
The first case of an atypical pneumonia is reported in
Southern China.
February 26, 2003
The first case of an unusual pneumonia was reported
in a hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam.
March 10, 2003
A World Health Organization (WHO) officer, Carlo
Urbani, MD, reports to the main office of the WHO that
there have been an unusually high number of healthcare
workers (approximately 20) becoming sick with similar
symptoms in the hospital in Hanoi. The pneumonia is
now beginning to be referred to as Severe Acute
Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).
March 11, 2003
Similar outbreaks are reported in
health care workers in Hong Kong.
March 12, 2003
WHO issues a global alert about
cases of atypical pneumonia in
Vietnam and China.
March 15, 2003
WHO issues an emergency travel
advisory for SARS. They state
that cases have been reported in
Canada, China, Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region of China, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore,
Thailand, and Vietnam. WHO also presents a case
definition of SARS in this advisory.
March 24, 2003
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
announced that a previously unrecognized virus from
the coronavirus family is the leading candidate for the
cause of SARS.
March 27, 2003
WHO issues an update recommending new screening
measures relating to international travel to reduce the
risk of further spread of SARS.
April 2, 2003
WHO issues a travel advisory recommending that
persons traveling to Hong Kong Special Administrative
Region and Guangdong Province, China postpone all
but essential travel.
April 4, 2003
President of the United States George W. Bush added
THE TREATMENT PAGES
SARS Timeline
The Coraona Virus
SARS to the list of quarantinable communicable
diseases, the first addition to the list since 1983.
April 14, 2003
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
announced that it has sequenced the genome for the
coronavirus believed to be responsible for SARS.
April 18, 2003
Researchers in the Emory School of Medicine in Atlanta
announced that they have demonstrated the validity of
a rapid laboratory test capable of determining whether
a patient has SARS.
April 23, 2003
WHO extends SARS-related travel advice to Beijing
and Shanxi Province in China and to Toronto, Canada,
recommending that persons planning
to travel to these destinations
postpone all but essential travel.
April 24, 2003
Wall Street Journal reports that AIDS
researcher David Ho, who runs the
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research
Center in New York and was a key
driver of AIDS treatment approaches
now in use, said he has agreed to
conduct work on potential therapy
and vaccine approaches for SARS.
April 28, 2003
WHO removed Vietnam from the list of affected areas,
making it the first country to successfully contain the
SARS outbreak.
April 28, 2003
More than 5000 cases worldwide; as of this date, a
cumulative total of 5050 probable SARS cases with 321
deaths having been reported from 26 countries.
June 17-18, 2003
WHO plans to hold an international scientific meeting in
Geneva to review the epidemiological, clinical
management and laboratory findings on SARS and to
discuss global control strategies. A report of the meeting
will be posted on the WHO website (www.who.int)
following the meeting.
Sources: World Health Organization (WHO), Centers
for Disease Control CDC), Emory University School of
Medicine, Wall Street Journal.
1 0 SURVIVAL NEWS

Many folks—particularly young folks—think that HIV/AIDS
has become a manageable condition. Many think that they don’t
really need to worry about getting infected with HIV. If they do
get infected, they just start taking pills and everything will be fine.
I doubt that those with this mindset really understand the true
price of living with HIV.
I have been living with HIV for nearly 21 years. I was
infected in 1982. To look at me one would have no idea that I was
infected with HIV. It doesn’t “show” at all. There is nothing
obviously physical that would give it away.
I am alive and quite healthy, no infections, no illness, pretty
much a “normal” life. But it’s a normalcy that comes with a price,
and that price presents itself in many forms.
There’s the price of just living with HIV, not knowing for how
long or how much longer, not knowing whether I will be stricken
with an opportunistic infection… just plain not knowing. (Although
many can rightly claim that none of us knows our fate.)
There’s the price of stigma. Some will not date people who
are infected with HIV. Others don’t want to be around people
with HIV—true even after more than two decades of HIV in the
world.
There’s the price of being a survivor. That brings a degree
of guilt: Why am I still here when so many others have died? The
other side of the price of surviving is losing those dear to you who
did not survive. So grief also becomes part of the price of living
with HIV.
There’s the price of living with the regimen of medications
I have to follow each day. Remembering to take three HIV
medications in the morning… remembering which ones I can
take with food, which I must take with food, which I can’t take with
food. Remembering to take another round of medications at
bedtime. Again, which with food, which without, which can,
which can’t. Just remembering carries a price. What if I don’t
remember? What if I take something twice?
There’s the price of the side effects of the medications. Is
what I am feeling because of the meds? Why does my stomach
hurt? Why doesn’t food taste right? And then I end up taking
another five medications every day to counteract the side effects
of the HIV meds. What’s the impact on my body of all of this?
How long will any of it last? If these stop working, what is
available to replace them? Some of the drugs I once took I can
no longer take. What happens when there aren’t any left that I
can take?
Finally, there’s the monetary cost of living with HIV. The
three HIV medications I take cost $3,538.87 for a three-month
THE TREATMENT PAGES
Living with HIV: The Price
By: E. Bruce Garner
159 Ralph McGill Blvd. NE, Suite 205
Atlanta, GA 30308-3311
Phone: 404-659-2437 (404-659-AIDS)
Toll-Free: 888-874-4845
Fax: 404-659-2438
Email: info@aidstreatment.org
Website: www.aidstreatment.org
supply of each. That’s $14,155.48 a year just for the three HIV
medications. That doesn’t include the other drugs to supplement
or counteract the effects of those medications. If I didn’t have
excellent insurance coverage, where would I be? Who would pay
the price for those medications? My visits to the doctor every four
months average over $1,000.00 each. The cost of lab work alone
is astronomical. But I have to have that lab work done for the
doctor to know if the medications are still working or if we need to
make a change.
Sure, the marvels of medical science make living with HIV
easier these days, but look at the price. Wouldn’t it be a lot cheaper
to have never gotten infected? That wasn’t really an option when
I became infected… we didn’t even know what was out there.
You know what’s out there. What’s your excuse? Is it going
to be worth the price for you? Is it worth the price for someone you
love? Is it worth the price of a condom?
It’s still worth the price of a condom for me to make sure I don’t get
any further infection from HIV or give HIV to someone else. I wish
the only price I had to pay was just for that condom.
—Bruce Garner is a member of ATI’s Board of Directors
FOCAT Discussion Group
(Focus on Complementary Alternatives)
facilitated by Guy Pujol and Jim Faulkner
Where: Treatment Resources Center
AIDS Survival Project
When: 2nd Wednesday of May, June, July.
May 14, 2003
5:30 to 7:00 P.M.
Skin Problems, Rash, Wounds and Mouth - Gum
Problems
June 11, 2003
5:30 to 7:00 P.M.
AIDS/HIV, Weakened Immune System, Herpes virus,
Shingles,Bells Palsy and Cancer.
July 9, 2003
5:30 to 7:00 P.M.
Headache, Pain, Migraine, Fibromyalgia,
Angina and Backache
May/June 2003 11

Chronicles
(from the CDC NPIN For
AIDS, STDs and TB)
compiled by
Ernie Evangelista
Call for Review of AIDS Vaccine. AIDSVAX, the
AIDS vaccine developed by VaxGen Inc. and reported
to potentially have benefits for some minorities,
continued to trigger debate as the company presented
further analysis at the Keystone Symposia in Canada
on Monday, March 31. AIDS activist groups are
calling on the National Institutes of Health to
independently review the company’s claim that the
vaccine could hold promise for blacks and other
minorities, while it failed for the mostly white study’s
participants. Controversy over AIDSVAX’s results
highlights not only scientific validity but also social
impact. Some minorities and other groups rejected
statements that the vaccine was a failure simply
because it did not work for white participants. Several
AIDS groups said the company was irresponsible to
interpret data based on such a small group of minority
participants. A coalition of seven AIDS groups support
an NIH review to determine whether further studies of
AIDSVAX should proceed. They also want VaxGen
to release its proprietary vaccine data to an outside
NIH panel to address statistical criticisms of the
EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
CLINICAL TRIAL FOR
PREGNANT WOMEN ONLY
Sometimes HIV positive pregnant women have an increase
in the amount of HIV in their blood (viral load) AFTER
their baby is born.
The Emory AIDS Clinical Trials Unit (ACTU) invites you
to participate in a clinical research trial that will try to find
out how often this happens and look at some of the reasons
why.
Are you:
•HIV Positive?
• Female at least 18 year of age?
• Between 22 AND 30 weeks pregnant?
• Planning on taking HIV drugs for at least 8 weeks before delivery?
• Willing to take HIV drugs after your baby is born?
For more information contact:
Dale P. Maddox, LCSW
404/616-6333
Ponce IDP Center
341 Ponce de Leon
3 rd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
company’s assertion that the vaccine may benefit
certain racial groups. In a letter to Dr. Anthony
Fauci, director of the NIH’s National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases, coalition members
called for further research should the results be
proven real, but “if they are the result of an artifact,
the public needs to be informed of this expeditiously
so researchers and the affected communities can
move on to explore more promising vaccine
approaches.” Calling for a “very, very thorough,
unbiased good look” at the VaxGen data, Fauci said
he will assemble a panel that complies with activists’
requests for significant minority representation.
Should the panel find potential benefits, funding of
another trial would be discussed. VaxGen
spokesperson Lance Ignon said that the March 31
unveiling would be one of many chances for the
scientific community to review AIDSVAX data, and
he added that the company would comply with an
NIH review.
Merck and Aventis Combine AIDS Drugs. Merck
& Co. and Aventis SA are combining their AIDS
vaccine candidates in a joint human test in the
United States that will begin later this year. For
reasons neither company understands, monkeys
that were injected first with the Merck vaccine and
then later with the Aventis medicine achieved a
EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
ARE YOU HIV-POSITIVE
AND HAVE NEVER TAKEN HIV MEDICATIONS?
The Emory AIDS Clinical Trials Unit is enrolling volunteers for a
2 to 3 year research trial to study three different HIV drug
combinations.
The purpose of this study is to compare three different anti-HIV
drug regimens as first-time treatments for HIV infection. The
study will look at the effectiveness and safety of the three drug
regimens and how well these regimens are tolerated.
Are you:
HIV positive?
18 years of age or older?
Never taken HIV drugs?
With a viral load of 2000 or
greater?
better immune response than monkeys given either
vaccine separately or in reverse order. “It’s very
clear that there’s a certain order of these candidates
that’s preferred,” said Dr. John Shiver, Merck’s HIV
vaccine program head. Aware that hopes for vaccine
candidates have been raised and dashed numerous
times, Shiver warned that the Merck and Aventis
vaccine programs and newly combined effort are
still in their early stages. Merck’s vaccine candidate
is a modified version of a cold virus, while the Aventis
candidate comes from the pox family. Merck called
the French-German company to see if they could
test them together. Late last year, data started to
develop that a certain combination seemed to work
well, Shiver said. “This is not a sign of desperation”
that the companies are testing their vaccine
candidates together, said Shiver. Both companies
are also continuing vaccine development
independently. Merck is now testing a vaccine in
1,300 HIV-positive and HIV-negative volunteers in
70 clinical sites.
AIDS Drug in Halted Trial Is Less Effective Taken
Alone. The US National Institutes of Health halted
the trial of GlaxoSmithKline’s AIDS drug Trizivir after
it proved less effective than when used in combination
with another AIDS drug, the company said. A Glaxo
spokesperson said the NIH’s AIDS clinical trial
Volunteers will receive either:
1. Kaletra + Sustiva
2. Kaletra + Zerit XR (extended
release)
(or AZT) + Epivir
3. Sustiva + Zerit XR (extended
release)(or AZT) + Epivir
For more information contact:
Dale P. Maddox, LCSW
404/616-6333
Ponce IDP Center
341 Ponce de Leon
3 rd Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
Note: Only Kaletra, Sustiva and
Zerit XR will be provided by the
study.
1 2 SURVIVAL NEWS

Chronicles, continued from page 12
conducted three studies in parallel, one of which
tested patients taking just Trizivir. In two further
studies, some patients took a combination of the
Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. drug Sustiva with Trizivir,
while others took a combination of Glaxo’s drug
Combivir with Sustiva. NIH decided to stop the
Trizivir-only trial because only 74 percent of patients
had a viral load of less than 200 after 48 weeks. In
the other two trials, 89 percent of patients achieved
a viral load of less than 200.
Software for AIDS Virus Research Has Southern
Louisiana Roots. The National Science Foundation
has awarded $100,000 to a Louisiana-based
company that has developed software that provides
real-time access to changes in complex genetic data
for the research and treatment of HIV. With quick
access to genetic data on both the patient and virus
affecting the patient, clinicians can better evaluate
how each responds to various treatments, said
Susanna LeFleur, founder of Gene Johnson Inc.,
maker of the software. “What we’re doing is creating,
for clinical researchers, clinical data and genetic
data in a relational system,” LaFleur said. Analysis
of genetic data in HIV research that used to take two
weeks can be done in 10 minutes with the software
HIVbase, said Gene Johnson Chief Management
Officer Luke Dunlap. Most HIV researchers use a
system that generates paper printouts of genetic
sequences, and one patient can easily generate
enough data to fill a 4-inch-thick binder in just a few
years, he said. Data in that form is hard to access
and manipulate, Dunlap said. “With a system like
[HIVbase], you can easily see the [genetic] mutations
and responses,” Dunlap said. “It’s instantaneous
and it’s at your fingertips.” HIVbase is not the only
software that tracks genetic information, but it is
unique in that it gives researchers new ways to
analyze data. The software can instantly compute
hundreds of thousands of bits of information that
comprise genetic codes and can operate on standard
personal computers, Dunlap said. Gene Johnson
Inc. plans to develop software for hepatitis C, called
HCVbase. LaFleur said she expects to begin selling
HIVbase to government, university and
pharmaceutical research facilities in May. NSF is
also considering an additional $750,000 award for
HIVbase.
Clues to How Men Exposed to HIV Stay Virus-
Free. According to researchers, men who have sex
with HIV-positive women but remain virus-free carry
relatively high levels of antibodies that specifically
fight HIV infection in the tissue that first encounters
the virus. These antibodies may help protect people
exposed to the virus from becoming infected. Study
author Dr. Mario Clerici of the University of Milan in
Italy explained that people become infected with HIV
during intercourse when the virus binds to proteins
in genital tissue, allowing HIV to penetrate mucosal
cells, after which it eventually spreads in the body.
But in a small number of people exposed to the virus,
this process does not occur, Clerici said. The study
“Mucosal and Systemic HIV-1-Specific Immunity in
HIV-1-Exposed but Uninfected Heterosexual Men,”
published in the journal AIDS (2003;17:531-539),
compared 14 HIV-negative men whose female
partner was HIV-positive with seven men infected
with the virus and seven men without any known risk
factor for HIV infection. All of the virus-free men had
been having unprotected sex with an HIV-positive
women for at least four years. On average, the
couples said they had unprotected sex 14 times per
year, the most recent time being within the four
months before they enrolled in the study. The authors
found that 11 of these 14 men carried relatively high
levels of the antibody known as IgA that specifically
targets HIV in their seminal fluid. These “good” HIVtargeted
antibodies were not present in the seminal
fluid of the men who were at low risk of HIV exposure,
according to Clerici. In addition, the concentration of
these antibodies tended to be highest in men who
had recently had unprotected sex with their infected
female partner. Scientists have shown that IgA
helps protect the body against HIV by changing its
shape and barring its entry into target cells. Previous
studies have also detected the presence of IgA
targeted to HIV in secretions from commercial sex
workers in Africa and Thailand, who have a high risk
of having been exposed to HIV. Clerici said studies
underway in mice and monkeys are seeking to
reproduce such natural mechanisms for an HIV
vaccine.
Study Looks at How HIV May Spread Through
Oral Sex. Laboratory studies of mouth tissue suggest
that unprotected oral sex does have the potential to
transmit HIV, but one expert said it is still less risky
than other routes of transmission. Dr. Xuan Liu of
Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
and colleagues at the University of California-Los
Angeles obtained oral tissue samples from over 50
healthy, HIV-negative patients and exposed the
tissue to three different types of HIV. They found that
two of the types could infect and reproduce within
keratinocytes that line the mouth’s surface, and then
transfer the infection to adjacent white blood cells.
However, the level of infection in the mouth cells was
much lower than that seen in white blood cells -
approximately one-fourth to one-eighth lower. “HIV
is able to get into [keratinocytes], but it reproduces
less than it would in blood cells... because saliva
contains an HIV inhibitor,” said Liu. Researchers
found that keratinocytes have two receptors that
bind to HIV. However, when the team used inhibitors
to block HIV from attaching to those receptors, they
noticed that they did not completely block
transmission, suggesting that the cells may have
lower levels of other receptors used by the virus.
Further research is necessary to determine if the
laboratory results mimic what actually happens in a
living patient, Liu said. Dr. Jeffrey Laurence, senior
scientific consultant for programs at the American
Foundation for AIDS Research and director of AIDS
Virus Research at Cornell’s Weill College of Medicine,
said that keratinocytes lack two of the most common
receptors for HIV transmission - CD4 and the CCR5
co-receptor. An effective vaccine would likely have
to block these two primary receptors, which are
found in cells that line the vagina and rectum.
Laurence believes the findings indicate there is “no
reason for altering safer sex guidelines that have
been talked about for over 15 years.” Laurence said,
“No exchange of infected bodily fluids is absolutely
safe, but kissing has been shown to be of no risk, and
oral sex is of much lower risk than the other traditional
factors known to spread HIV.”
HIV’s Ability to Rapidly Evolve Occurs Quicker
than Thought. HIV evolves more rapidly than
previously thought, according to a new finding that
underscores challenges to developing an effective
vaccine. HIV has long outwitted both scientists and
the body’s own defenses with its rapid ability to
adapt. The virus’ protective envelope is a hotbed of
variability, according to a new study by researchers
at the University of California-San Diego and
ViroLogic Inc., a South San Francisco biotechnology
company. The virus mutates its protective coating
“at an incredibly rapid rate” to stay one step ahead
of neutralizing antibodies produced by the immune
system, said Dr. Douglas Richman, the study’s lead
author. The full report, “Rapid Evolution of the
Neutralizing Antibody Response to HIV Type 1
Infection,” appeared in the March 18 online edition
of the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences (10.1073/pnas.0630530100). The study
provides the closest look yet at how HIV evades the
body’s powerful efforts to churn out antibodies that
can render it ineffective. ViroLogic’s work is part of
an increasingly successful effort to describe the
battle between antibodies and HIV in detailed
molecular terms, said Gary Nabel, director of the
vaccine research center at the National Institute of
Allergy and Infectious Diseases. “It’s been our biggest
challenge to developing drugs or vaccines,” he said.
In recent years, HIV has been tamed in infected
individuals by retroviral and other drugs that disrupt
its ability to replicate, but stopping infection in the
first place is more difficult. Richman said his group’s
findings and methods may open a path toward more
effective vaccine strategies, such as vaccines that
target portions of the virus that are unable to undergo
rapid changes.
Insurance Fights Grow on ‘HIV Retirement.’ Since
the development of a new class of HIV drugs in the
mid-1990s, many people who had gone into “HIV
retirement,” as their nonworking status is often
referred to, are in limbo. They once assumed they
would die an early death, but the drug regimens
have allowed them to survive longer than they ever
thought possible. This means that insurance
companies that once approved AIDS-related
disability claims, expecting that the payments would
end in a year or two, may have to support patients for
decades. Winthrop Cashdollar, a disability expert at
the Health Insurance Association of America, a
trade group of Washington, acknowledged that
insurers had to change their policies about reviewing
HIV-related claims to correspond to the new medical
continued on page 14
May/June 2003 13

Chronicles, continued from page 13
reality. “Until fairly recently, AIDS was an imminent
death sentence, so claims tended to be approved
quickly and paid,” Cashdollar said. “And perhaps
there was no review to speak of. Now there has to
be, because HIV/AIDS has become manageable,
like some other diagnoses.” The trade association
does not keep statistics on how many HIV-positive
people are receiving long-term disability. But Per
Larson, a New York financial analyst for HIV-positive
people, estimated that the figure was easily in the
tens of thousands. Doctors who treat people with
HIV/AIDS are frequently caught in the middle. Dr.
Stephen Becker, a San Francisco primary care
physician, said the time he spends defending
disability claims has increased markedly in the last
three years. And many disability insurers he has
dealt with, he said, seemed to resist the notion that
patients who are HIV-positive can remain disabled
even though their lab-test results may improve. One
problem is that some symptoms caused by HIV and
the drugs used to treat it can be harder to measure
objectively. And the disability companies, he added,
scour medical records for signs that the person can
work again. “If the person doesn’t note a symptom in
the charts every time, the insurers construe that
absence as a sign that the person is better,” Becker
said. “I think they’re playing hardball.”
Hospital Worker Sentenced to Jail for Forging
AIDS-Drug Prescriptions. A former employee of
Montefiore Medical Center received up to five years
in prison Monday, March 24, for forging AIDS drug
prescriptions and selling the drugs on the black
market. Enrique Rojas, an HIV education coordinator
at the Bronx hospital, was sentenced and ordered to
pay more than $1.7 million in restitution, said New
York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Rojas, of
Bronxville, N.Y., pleaded guilty to grand larceny in
the first degree in July. Rojas had faxed hundreds of
forged prescriptions for the drug Serostim to out-ofstate
pharmacies for a nine-month period, Spitzer’s
office said. Believing the prescriptions to be
legitimate, the pharmacies then filled them, sent the
drug to addresses Rojas provided, and billed
Medicaid, which reimbursed providers $6,300 for a
month’s supply of Serostim. Rojas admitted to selling
Serostim on the black market. Spitzer said a month’s
supply of the drug carries a street value of $3,000-
$3,200.
Woman Charged with Criminally Transmitting
HIV to 200 Partners. A Jacksonville, Fla., woman is
facing charges that she criminally transmitted HIV to
at least 200 unprotected partners. Melissa Jernigan,
24, told police that she tested positive for the virus in
1999 and continued to have unprotected sex. It is a
third-degree felony in Florida, punishable by five
years in prison, for an HIV-positive person to have
sex with a partner without first informing them about
the diagnosis. “This crime is actually in the area of
attempted murder,” said Sgt. H.R. Atkinson of the
Duval County Sheriff’s Office sex crimes unit.
Jernigan was being held Friday at the John E.
Goode Pre-Trial Detention Facility in Jacksonville.
UN Launches First Comprehensive Web Site on
Gender and HIV/AIDS. In an effort to place gender
equality at the center of the fight against HIV/AIDS,
the UN has launched its first comprehensive Web
site that promotes understanding, knowledge and
action on the epidemic as a gender and human
rights issue. “By bringing knowledge and information
to the global community, we are able to empower
women,” said Noeleen Heyzer, executive director of
the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM).
Designed to be user-friendly, informative and
interactive, the site offers research, training materials,
surveys, advocacy tools, current news and opinion
pieces by leading experts. “This online resource
center is a practical step forward by UNIFEM and
UNAIDS together, designed to improve the support
for the millions of women around the world living with
HIV and affected by the epidemic,” according to
UNAIDS Executive Director Peter Piot. Visit the Web
site at: http://www.genderandaids.org.
Half of HIV Cases Spread Heterosexually in
Europe. The number of women being diagnosed
with HIV in Europe is quickly catching up with men,
raising the risk of more babies being born to infected
mothers, researchers warned Wednesday, March
19. ISIS Research Plc, a health care market research
agency, said its analysis of HIV figures showed just
how fast this was happening in Europe, even though
in the United States
homosexual
transmission remains
the dominant route of
infection. ISIS analyzed
3,000 European
patients on HIV therapy
from July-October 2002
and found 308 patients
had been newly
diagnosed with HIV
earlier that year. Of
these, 51 percent were
infected through
heterosexual contact
and only 36 percent as
a result of homosexual
contact. Yet, ten years
ago, the transmission
routes were 28 percent
heterosexual and 38
percent homosexual.
ISIS examined 3,000
US patients and found
that new HIV diagnoses
were 51 percent
homosexual and 31
percent heterosexual by
route of infection. ISIS
analyst Amanda
Zeffman said that
numerous factors,
including different ethnic
origins and awareness
campaigns, account for the differences in the
epidemic between Europe and the United States.
The gap is narrowing, however, as more US
heterosexuals become infected. The number of
European females being diagnosed with HIV is “fast
catching up with the number of males,” said the
report, with the consequent risk of more babies
being born to infected mothers. The question arises
of “which treatments to use or avoid during pregnancy
and at the time of birth to prevent” mother-to-child
HIV transmission. On a positive note, the report said
initiatives to supply sterile needles to drug users
seemed to be effective, with HIV transmission via
intravenous drug use now almost eradicated in
France, Germany and the United Kingdom and
significantly reduced in Spain and Italy. However, in
the United States, where initiatives are less
widespread, infection rates have dropped less.
In Sweden, a Proposal for Nationwide Needle-
Exchange for Drug Addicts. Sweden’s drug policy
coordinator said Wednesday, March 5, that it should
follow international examples and permit nationwide
needle exchange programs. Such programs are
credited with curbing the spread of HIV and hepatitis
C in other countries, although Sweden has been
reluctant to implement a national needle exchange
policy. In his proposal to the center-left Social
Democratic government, drug policy coordinator
Bjoern Fries said that two trial programs in the
continued on page 15
Positive Impact, Inc.
presents:
Women’s Issues Group
co-facilitated by Debbie Pottinger
starting:
Tuesday, May 13
5:30 - 7:00 PM
159 Ralph McGill Boulevard
6th Floor
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-589-9040
This is a drop-in group for all women living with HIV,
from those newly diagnosed to long-term survivors,
who are looking for support from other women. The
group addresses adjusting to new diagnoses,
relationship issues, treatment question and other
issues relevant to HIV-positive women.
POSITIVE IMPACT, INC.
Our mission is to facilitate culturally sensitive mental health
and prevention services for people living with HIV.
1 4 SURVIVAL NEWS

Chronicles, continued from page 14
southern cities of Malmoe and Lund showed positive
results. He added that they should be expanded on
a nationwide scale, only if local authorities offer full
drug treatment programs, including detoxification
and counseling. The Health Ministry would not
comment on the proposal until it faces expert review,
spokesperson Kicki Maehler said.
World Health Organization Hopes to Double
AIDS Treatment in Latin America. The World
Health Organization hopes to double the number of
people receiving AIDS treatment in Latin America by
2005, Bernard Schwartlander, head of WHO’s HIV/
AIDS department, said on March 12. Schwartlander
said WHO would like to see 400,000 people receiving
a cocktail of AIDS drugs by 2005. About 1 million
people in Latin America are infected with HIV, but
only 200,000 receive the life-extending drugs. Brazil
provides AIDS drugs free to anyone who needs
them, and about 125,000 Brazilians now receive the
AIDS cocktail. Annual AIDS deaths in Brazil have
fallen from 11,024 to 4,136 in just four years, thanks
largely to the free medicine. But Brazil makes its own
InfectedAffectedNegativePositiveLongTermSurvivorNewlyDiagnosedInfected
AIDS drugs, ignoring patents issued before 1997,
when the country signed an intellectual property law
to join the World Trade Organization. Brazil also
threatened to break more recent patents unless
drug companies granted large discounts on the
AIDS drugs they produce. They complied, and Brazil
has so far respected newer patents. Schwartlander
was vague about the source of the money to pay for
the treatments in this largely poor continent. “The
increase [in coverage] depends fundamentally on
the governments of the countries and funding from
institutions like the World Bank and the Global
Fund,” said Schwartlander. Paulo Teixeira, the
coordinator of Brazil’s AIDS program, said WHO
had failed to use its muscle to reduce the price of
AIDS drugs. “Unity among different countries has
shown itself to be fundamental in reducing the price
of medications. However, these results would be
very much better if there was clear leadership from
the WHO and other international bodies,” Teixeira
said. “From the multilateral organization there is a
lack of action on the question of patents, regional
funds, local drug production and quality control for
generics,” he said.
InfectedAffectedNegativePositiveLongTermSurvivorNewlyDiagnosedInfectedAffectedNegativePositive
THRIVE! weekends are free, interactive gatherings organized
by AIDS Survival Project and led by men and women
living with HIV. Join us for two full days of candid group
discussions and empowering presentations on HIV/AIDS.
Professional childcare and meals provided. ASL by request.
2003 THRIVE! Weedkend Dates:
May 17 & 18, 2003
July 19 & 20
September 20 & 21
November 8 & 9
To register call 404-874-7926 TTY 404-524-0464
or toll free at 1-877-243-7444
HIV Increase Brings Renewed Warning. New
Zealanders are being cautioned against
complacency following an increase in the number of
men infected with HIV. The number of HIV cases
among men who have sex with men last year was
the highest since 1996, according to the AIDS
Foundation. Executive Director Kevin Hague said
50 men tested positive for HIV, a rise from a stable
number of about 35 over each of the previous four
years. Hague said this was a cause for concern,
although the numbers were still small and just a few
additional cases could mean a big percentage
change. HAART therapy and “the decreasing public
visibility of AIDS” may lead many uninfected gay
men into believing that HIV was no longer a threat,
speculated Hague. He also added as the third decade
of the AIDS epidemic approached, the risks
associated with any one occasion of unprotected
sex had increased. “It’s therefore important for people
not to assume that their sexual partner is HIVnegative,”
said Hague.
More Than 300,000 Chinese to Contract HIV
During 2003. State Media. Statistics printed in state
continued on page 16
PositiveBeginnings
BeingYourOwnAdvocate
IssuesForLongTermSurvivors
WomensHIVMedical
SaferSex
Antiretrovirals
FamilyFriendsCaregivers
ClinicalTrials
Disclosure
SocialSecurity
DentalCare
SubstanceUse
SaferUsing
FoodSafety
Legal
HIVOverview
Nutrition
OpportunisticInfections
FromSurviveToTHRIVE!
ComplementaryTherapies
Funded in part by the Fulton County Board of Commissioners under the guidance of the Fulton County Human Services
Grants Program, Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
InfectedAffectedNegativePositiveLongTermSurvivorNewlyDiagnosedInfectedAffectedNegativePositive
May/June 2003 15
InfectedAffectedNegativePositiveLongTermSurvivorNewlyDiagnosedInfectedAffectedNegative

Chronicles, continued from page 15
media Wednesday, March 26, show that more than
300,000 Chinese will contract HIV during 2003.
According to health ministry data reported in the
China Daily, China had more than 1 million HIV
cases last year - a figure projected to increase by
more than 30 percent annually. Previous reports
indicate that about 100,000 Chinese have AIDS, and
this number is estimated to double over the next five
years. The paper said the government has put
together a task force on AIDS vaccine research and
welcomes foreign pharmaceutical companies and
research institutes to participate in the Chinese
search for a vaccine, although human trials are not
permitted. If a foreign company’s efforts achieve a
breakthrough and it desires to use locals for a
vaccine study, it must seek permission through a
local partner, the paper said.
Walk Raises $500,000 to Fight AIDS. An estimated
7,500 people helped to raise more than $500,000 in
the Sunday, March 9 AIDS Walk Houston, organizers
said. Money raised during the 14th annual downtown
walk will help fund AIDS Foundation Houston and 13
other agencies that provide education, counseling,
housing, food and medical care to thousands. Kelly
Rowland of the Houston-based R&B group Destiny’s
Child appeared at Sunday’s event to focus the black
community’s attention on preventing HIV/AIDS.
According to the city’s Health and Human Services
Department, about 57 percent of new HIV infections
occur among blacks, a proportion more than double
Houston’s percentage of black residents. AIDS
Foundation Houston estimates that about 22,000
people in the city have HIV or AIDS.
Walkers Step Out to Boost AIDS Awareness.
About 200 people turned out for Saturday’s AIDS
Walk (on March 8) at the Myrtle Beach, S.C., Pavilion
to promote HIV/AIDS awareness and raise money
for CARETEAM, a nonprofit social services agency.
CARETEAM Executive Director Valerie Harrington
said Saturday’s walk was a success, and at least five
new volunteers were registered. “We are thrilled
with the participation we had this year,” said
Harrington. CARETEAM offers comprehensive case
management services to those with HIV/AIDS,
including housing assistance, counseling and
medical help. Harrington said that there are currently
about 1,800 known HIV cases in Horry, Georgetown
and Williamsburg counties; she could not estimate
how many unreported cases there may be in the
area. By promoting prevention, Harrington hopes to
stymie the increase in new HIV/AIDS cases among
females, which she attributes to growing
complacency. “It is not in the public eye like it should
be. And people are not aware that it’s in this
community,” she said. “Many women still think it’s a
problem for the gay man.”
We will pick up your
unwanted clothes,
furniture and other
items and donate a
portion of the
proceeds to
AIDS Survival
Project!
Best Buy
Thrift Store
Call-404-361-2352
1 6 SURVIVAL NEWS

Name
Address
POSITIVELY PERSONAL
City/State/Zip
Daytime Phone # ( )
Seeking (circle one): Men Women TV/TS Bisexual
Ad should say (35 words or less):
To: Personals,159 Ralph McGill Blvd., Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30308
SURVIVAL NEWS CLASSIFIEDS
Seeking Men
• GWM, 40’s, masculine, musclar, 5’, 5”, 135, Atlanta house and
50 acre farm north of Gainsville. Into outdoors, travel, ISO masculine,
versatile, self-confident, independent 30-50 y. o., 5’,6” - 5’, 11”, under
175 lbs. Jason 706-776-7400. (05/03)
• HIV+, 40 y. o. seek friends in the field of helping persons newly
released from prison. Not seeking relationships, funds or games.
Friends who can help with info on housing and real friendships wanted
and needed. George K. Pitts, EF 232663, BSP, P. O. Box 1700, D3-
41, Hardwick, GA 31034-1700 (05/03)
• WM, 35, seeks LTR. Easy going, good sense of humor, 5’, 7”,
170 lbs., Brn. hair, grn. eyes., Soon to be released from prison, will send
photos with response. Johnny Tanner, EF 308763 - I-C-72, Scott State
Prison, P. O. Box 417, Hardwick, GA 31034-0417. (05/03)
Seeking Women
• Italian, 6’ 2”, 200 lbs., poz for 18 years and I need a woman to love
me. I love sports, scuba diving, camping and dancing. Will answer all
responses. Tony Raposa, Southeast Probation Dentention Center, P. O.
Box 869, Claxton, GA 30417 (05/03)
• SBM, 37, newly dx HIV+, caring, passionate, handsome, healthy,
seeks nice caring female to share, friendship, race/age unimp. Robert
Pullin, BK# 0222815, 3 S 400, 901 Rice St., Atlanta, GA 30318 (06/
03)
• WSDM, 32, sks nice lady, 25-40, country boy, Danny Scott
Spillers, EF 421293, Bostwick State Prison, P. O. Box 1700, Hardwick,
GA 31034 (05/03)
Roommates
• ASAP! Quiet and employed, GWM roommate wanted to share
large 2 bedroom/2 bath apartment with sunroom, laundry, off street
parking. Quiet neighborhood in Lawrenceville. $450.00 per month
including utilities except cable and long distance. !st and last month’s
rent required. Sorry no pets. Contact: Ron DeNardom 770-931-0489
ortherubdownmqn@msn.com (07/03)
DONATIONS
• “Buying Your Home is not a Science...It’s an ART!
Art Auerbach (Paris & Associates Realty) Long time volunteer
and old friend of AIDS Survival Project will donate the equivalent of
25% of the commisssion he receives for each buyer or seller referred
from AIDS Survival project. If you are ready to buy or sell a home or
condo, call Art at 404-321-1930 or on the web at
www.TheARTofAtlantaHomes.com. You will receive great real
estate assistance and ASP will benefit from a generous donation! Be
sure to tell Art you are an ASP referral!
SERVICES
• Graded Benefit Whole Life Insurance Policy. Available with
no questions asked for ages 40 -80, face amounts $1000 - $25,000.
Permanent protection for your whole life. Premiums never increase
call Brian Freeman at 404-233-5411, ext. 231 for further information.
(02/02)
Use the form below to place your own Positively Personal ad!
All Classifieds are printed free of charge. Roommates, Jobline,
Services, and Misc. listings are usually run for one month only,
Personal ads for two months. To place ad, send written copy to
159 Ralph McGill Blvd., Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30308; Personal
ads should use the form below, and be clearly marked as
"PERSONALS." Do not call our office to place an ad, unless
correcting a mistake. Deadline for all ads is the 1st workday of
the previous month. AIDS Survival Project reserves the right to
edit ads as necessary, and is not responsible for the content or
credibility of any ad.
SERVICES, continued
• JongHoo Therapeutics • Ron Denardo (ment) 404-435-7064
• therubdownman@msn.com• You get your first visit @ 50% off
($25 instead of $50) at our Sandy Springs location • We offer
reflexology, neuromuscular therapy, teiki, therapeutic-message, shiatsu
and more.
• Cadillac House Cleaning Serv., basic residential: apts,
townshouses, condos, houses, very resonable, reliable, friendly,
excellent references, call today - Larry Patrick, 404-377-9612, also
house sitting, and assisting with sick.
The AIDS Survival Project is incorporated in the state of
Georgia as a 501(c)3 nonprofit corporation. All donations are
tax-deductible. A large percentage of our annual budget is
funded solely by your contributions, the rest is supplemented by
grants solicited from private foundations.
We are happy to provide the newsletter to people who
cannot afford to purchase a subscription; however, we ask that
anyone who can afford to subscribe, do so.
I am a person living with HIV/AIDS and want to
be a member of the AIDS Survival Project.
Enclosed is $30.00 for a one year subscription.
I cannot afford to pay for a subscription. Please enter my
free subscription.
Please send me information on how I can include AIDS
Survival Project in my will or planned giving.
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Phone Day:________________ Evenings: _________________
e-mail:
Please contact me about volunteering for the following:
Survival News Committee
THRIVE! Weekend
Peer Counseling
Treatment Advisory Committee
Advocacy Committee
Special Events Committee
I have other special skills I would like to offer:
I would like to make a donation in Memory of:
I would like to make a donation in Honor of:
Please acknowledge this donation to:
Name:
Address:
City, State, Zip:
Please send this form to: AIDS Survival Project, 159 Ralph
McGill Blvd, Suite 500, Atlanta, GA 30308. Thanks!
May/June 2003 17