THIS WEEK, a settlement between about 6,000 AIDS-infected hemophiliacs and the makers of tainted blood-clotting products is progressing after resolution of two appeals, a plaintiffs lawyer says.

Attorney David Schrager says payments of $100,000 to each hemophiliac or surviving family members finally may go out later this summer.

The companies had promised that checks would be mailed July 8, but the settlement was thrown into question by a U.S. Supreme Court decision questioning class-action procedures in an unrelated case, and by two late appeals of the hemophiliac case.

Lawyers representing about 18 plaintiffs dropped their appeals after being allowed to opt out of the settlement and pursue individual lawsuits. That also removes the issue of the Supreme Court case, Schrager says.

New web sites

Researchers at UC-San Francisco have created a Web site with information on HIV. "HIV InSite" features articles on medicine, prevention, social issues and epidemiology.

Federal HIV treatment guidelines are available at a CDC web site and at the NIH site. Click here for more information about the guidelines.

Nine leading AIDS groups raise concerns about recent advances in medical treatments at www.aidsquilt.org.

The International Association of Physicians in AIDS Care has developed a web site for women with HIV, at www.iapac.org.

AIDS in children

At least a thousand children are contracting HIV each day, according to a United Nations report. There were some 400,000 new HIV cases involving children under 18 last year, and some 350,000 children died of AIDS, said the Geneva-based group UNAIDS.

In some regions of the world, infant mortality rates could increase by as much as 75 percent by 2000 unless there is immediate medical intervention. In Zambia, about half of infant AIDS victims die by the age of 2. In Europe, by contrast, 80 percent of child AIDS victims are still alive by age 3.

The manufacturer of the experimental drug called "1592" says children with advanced stages of AIDS who have not responded to other treatments may be eligible for the drug. Glaxo Wellcome Inc. announced that children who would be considered for testing of the drug ranged in age from 2 weeks through 13 years. To enroll, call 1-800-501-4672.

Children with HIV are living longer and staying healthier, which means more HIV-infected children can be expected to attend school in the years to come, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Many of the 1,600 HIV-infected U.S. children born in 1993 -- next September's kindergartners -- will be expected to attend school, the group said. Children with HIV have a life expectancy of more than nine years.

News briefs

A man dying of AIDS may not legally receive a lethal dose of drugs from his doctor, the Florida Supreme Court has ruled. The justices overturned a lower-court ruling that a privacy provision in Florida's constitution gave Charles Hall, 35, the right to physician-assisted suicide. They ruled that the state's interest in preserving life overshadowed the privacy rights of the dying AIDS patient.

A capsule implanted in the eyes of AIDS patients helps them fight off blindness three times longer than with earlier therapy, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The medicine, a sustained-release version of the drug ganciclovir, does not cure the infection but slows its progression. The implant, called Vitrasert, delayed progression for an average of 221 days, compared with 71 days for the injected drug.

Scientists have identified two more footholds that HIV can use to infect cells, a finding that might mean it will be harder than once thought to block infection by covering up such entry points. The report brings to six the reported total of HIV "co-receptors," the footholds HIV uses to infect cells in conjunction with the virus' main docking point.

The House Appropriations Committee's panel on labor and education approved a bill that would increase AIDS spending to nearly $1.8 billion next year, compared with $1.6 billion this year.

The funds -- about 7 percent more than President Clinton had requested -- would allow spending on treatment to rise to $1.17 billion from $996 million. Funding for prevention programs would be nearly $622 million, about $12 million less than Clinton wanted.

Under the bill, money for the AIDS Drug Assistance Program, which provides medicine for poor AIDS patients who don't qualify for Medicaid, would increase to $299 million from $167 million. Demand for anti-viral agents has left the program so cash-strapped that 23 states have had to cut patients or restrict their access to the drugs.

Events

"People and Protease," a forum on the combination of anti-viral therapy and holistic medicine, will be held Friday from 7 to 9:30 p.m., Davies Medical Center (Gazebo Room), Castro and Duboce streets. Call (415) 284-6237.

"Moving Through Loss," a workshop for anger, grief, stress and burnout for patients and caregivers, will be offered in Santa Rosa from Friday through Sunday. Call (415) 263-4822.

Project Inform will hold a town meeting to discuss "Introduction to HIV Treatment Options" on Aug. 6 from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at the Project Inform office, 1965 Market St., Suite 220. Call (415) 558-8669.

A free practical-skills training for partners, friends and family members who are AIDS caregivers will be offered by Home Care Companions on Sept. 17, 18, 19, 22 and 23 from 7 to 10 p.m. at Davies Medical Center. Call (415) 824-3269 to register.

Correction

Wilmer Weiss, 71, a noted fashion retail executive for more than 50 years, died of cardiac disease. He was listed under "The Toll" in last week's column.

Date Cases Deaths

reported

S.F. 7/1 21,698 15,089

Calif. 7/1 100,912 64,832

U.S. 7/1 548,102 343,000

WHO 7/1 8.4 mil 6.4 mil

Figures are cumulative since June 1981.

Note: AIDS statistics can no longer be updated weekly due to a decision by city, state and federal epidemiologists to release new data only four times a year.

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