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Div. of Media Relations
1600 Clifton Road
MS D-14
Atlanta, GA 30333
(404) 639-3286
Fax (404) 639-7394 |
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Synopsis for January 14, 2000
MMWR articles are embargoed until 4 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday.
- HIV/AIDS Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men — United States, January 1989–December 1998
- Hypothermia-Related Deaths — Alaska, October 1998-April 1999, and Trends in the United States, 1979– 1996
- Neural Tube Defect Surveillance and Folic Acid Intervention — Texas-Mexico Border, 1993–1998
Synopsis for January 14, 2000
HIV/AIDS Among Racial/Ethnic Minority Men Who Have Sex with Men — United States, January 1989–December 1998
Men of color now account for a greater proportion of AIDS cases among men who have sex with men than do white men.
PRESS CONTACT:
Office of Communications
CDC, National Center for HIV, STD and TB Prevention
(404) 639–8895 |
Based on an examination of U.S. AIDS cases over the past decade, the CDC study found that men of color represent an increasing proportion of
AIDS cases among gay and bisexual men, rising from 31% in 1989 to 52% in 1998. African-American men comprised one-third of AIDS cases among men
who have sex with men, while Latino men represented 18% of cases. While declining from 69% in 1989, white men continued to represent 48% of AIDS
cases among men who have sex with men in 1998. Data from the report also suggest that the stigma of homosexuality may be playing a key role in
the disease's spread, and point to the early age at which gay and bisexual men are becoming infected.
Hypothermia-Related Deaths — Alaska, October 1998-April 1999, and Trends in the United States, 1979– 1996
Native Alaskan men are at highest risk to die from exposure to cold.
PRESS CONTACT:
Reinhard Kaiser, M.D.
CDC, National Center for Environmental Health
(404) 639–2578 |
Death certificate data show that Native Alaskan men have the highest risk in the United States to die from hypothermia, an accidental lowering
of the body temperature. Native Americans may have less access to protective clothing, shelter, or medical care. Men take more risks than women,
and they are more represented among people who remain outdoors for long periods. Traveling during extremely cold periods, especially when
conditions produce high winds, requires careful planning, awareness of travel advisories by the National Weather Service, and knowledge of
survival techniques should a person become stranded. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provide a prevention guide to promote
personal health and safety in extreme cold.
Neural Tube Defect Surveillance and Folic Acid Intervention — Texas-Mexico Border, 1993–1998
Folic acid appears to reduce recurrence risk for pregnancies affected by anencephaly or spina bifida in Hispanic women.
PRESS CONTACT:
Russ Larsen, Ph.D., M.P.H.
Texas Department of Health
(512) 458–7676 |
The prevalence of spina bifida and anencephaly was found to be elevated in the 14 Texas-Mexico border counties. The high rate of these defects
(1 per 750 live births) is reflective of the Hispanic rate (1 per 725). Women who have given birth to a child with one of these defects are at
risk for a recurrence and were given folic acid to be taken daily— 0.4 mg folic acid-containing multivitamins before conception and high dose
folic acid dosepacs (4.0 mg) if they intended to conceive again. One of 124 pregnancies resulted in a recurrence—a woman who was not able to
be counseled or given protective folic acid. These data underscore the need for physicians to educate both high and low risk patients about the
benefits of folic acid
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