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The prevalence of AIDS among prisoners in the United States is five times that of the general population, and the rates for some other sexually transmitted disease are even higher, scientists said Tuesday. Reporting on the first comprehensive study of these diseases in prisons and jails, the lead author, Dr. Theodore Hammett, said the high prevalence of AIDS among prisoners reflects their widespread use of drugs before they were imprisoned. He presented the findings Tuesday at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Prisons are a critical setting for detecting and treating sexually transmitted diseases, Hammett said, but the quality of health care varies widely. About 90 percent of the prisons and jails say they make the newer combinations of anti-HIV drugs available, but not necessarily to all inmates, Hammett said

Reporting on the first comprehensive study of these diseases in prisons and jails, the study's lead author, Dr. Theodore Hammett, said the high prevalence of AIDS among prisoners reflected their widespread use of drugs before they were imprisoned. He presented the findings yesterday at the National H.I.V. Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Prisons are a critical setting for detecting and treating sexually transmitted diseases, Dr. Hammett said, but the quality of health care varies widely. About 90 percent of the prisons and jails say they make the newer combinations of anti-H.I.V. drugs available, but not necessarily to all inmates, Dr. Hammett said. In 1997, an estimated 8,900 inmates had AIDS, and 35,000 to 47,000 more were infected with H.I.V., said Dr. Hammett, who works for Abt Associates, a private research and consulting firm in Cambridge, Mass. Dr. Hammett conducted the study for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, a private organization in Chicago that aims to improve health care in jails and prisons

Reporting on the first comprehensive study of these diseases in prisons and jails, the lead author, Dr. Theodore Hammett, said the high prevalence of AIDS among prisoners reflects their widespread use of drugs before they were imprisoned. He presented the findings yesterday at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Prisons are a critical setting for detecting and treating sexually transmitted diseases, Hammett said, but the quality of health care varies widely. About 90 percent of the prisons and jails say they make the newer combinations of anti-HIV drugs available, but not necessarily to all inmates, Hammett said. The high rates of sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia are particularly alarming, participants said, because they are adding fuel to the continuing epidemic of HIV, the AIDS virus. Syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia cause inflammation and sores that allow more HIV to concentrate in genital secretions and thus greatly increase the risk of acquiring and transmitting HIV

Reporting on the first comprehensive study of these diseases in prisons and jails, the lead author, Dr. Theodore Hammett, said the high prevalence of AIDS among prisoners reflects their widespread use of drugs before they were imprisoned. He presented the findings Tuesday at the National HIV Prevention Conference in Atlanta. Prisons are a critical setting for detecting and treating sexually transmitted diseases, Hammett said, but the quality of health care varies widely. About 90 percent of the prisons and jails say they make the newer combinations of anti-HIV drugs available, but not necessarily to all inmates, Hammett said

People generally take their ears for granted until something goes wrong with them, in which case they panic. The three most common ear problems, wax buildup, airplane ears, and swimmer's ear, are described

Death rates from AIDS in the United States slowed again in 1998. But the rates are no longer falling as rapidly as they did from 1995 to 1997, after the introduction of combination drug therapy, health officials said Monday at a meeting in Atlanta. And the rate of infection with HIV, the AIDS virus, is no longer declining and has stabilized, the officials said. About 40,000 Americans have been infected annually in recent years. Although these rates are much lower than they were at their peak in the 1980s, the slowing rate of decline shows that more aggressive prevention efforts are needed, officials said. At the same time, a new method of testing blood has been providing hitherto unavailable information about trends in new infections and fresh ways to detect hot spots of infections - steps that are expected to help focus prevention efforts on groups in which the virus is being transmitted most rapidly

Death rates from AIDS in the United States slowed again in 1998. But the rates are no longer falling as rapidly as they did from 1995 to 1997, after the introduction of combination drug therapy, health officials said yesterday at a meeting in Atlanta. Although these rates are much lower than they were at their peak in the 1980's, the slowing rate of decline shows that more aggressive prevention efforts are needed, officials said. At the same time, a new method of testing blood has been providing hitherto unavailable information about trends in new infections and fresh ways to detect hot spots of infections -- steps that are expected to help focus prevention efforts on groups in which the virus is being transmitted most rapidly. Over all, AIDS deaths in New York City dropped sharply from 1995 to 1998, but different groups declined at different rates. White men had the greatest decline, 83 percent; black women declined 75 percent. But two new studies, from the New York City Department of Health and the Michigan Department of Community Health, hint that bisexual practices among black men may lead to a higher rate of infection among black women, as men are infected by other men and then transmit the virus to women

Death rates from AIDS in the United States slowed again in 1998. But the rates are no longer falling as rapidly as they did from 1995 to 1997, after the introduction of combination drug therapy, health officials said Monday at a meeting in Atlanta

Death rates from AIDS in the United States slowed again in 1998. However, the rates no longer are falling as rapidly as they did from 1995 to 1997, after the introduction of combination drug therapy, health officials said Monday at a meeting in Atlanta. And the rate of infection with HIV, the AIDS virus, no longer is declining and has stabilized, the officials said. About 40,000 Americans have been infected annually in recent years. Nationwide, AIDS deaths dropped 42 percent from 1996 to 1997 but only 20 percent from 1997 to 1998, reported the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. Although these rates are much lower than they were at their peak in the 1980s, the slowing rate of decline shows more aggressive prevention efforts are needed, officials said. At the same time, a new method of testing blood has been providing hitherto unavailable information about trends in new infections and fresh ways to detect hot spots of infections - steps that are expected to help focus prevention efforts on groups in which the virus is being transmitted most rapidly. The incidence of new infections with HIV was 'dangerously high' in some areas among young gay men and heterosexual women, particularly blacks and members of other minorities, participants at a conference in Atlanta said. The new studies also showed the highest rates of HIV infection were found among men and women who had been infected with other sexually transmitted diseases. 'In this era of better therapies, it is clear that people are becoming complacent about prevention,' said Dr

Trying to lose weight quickly for an upcoming movie role, actor [MARTIN LAWRENCE], 34, last week went for a jog in suburban Los Angeles, in 100-degree heat with 40 percent humidity, wearing several layers of clothing. He was found unconscious an hour later with a body temperature of 107 degrees. Suffering from heatstroke, Lawrence remained in a coma for three days, his kidneys barely functioning. Doctors now hope he'll make a complete recovery, without any brain, kidney, or cardiovascular damage. If the body temperature rises to 105 degrees or more - as Martin Lawrence's did - that's heatstroke, the most serious of all illnesses caused by heat. If emergency treatment is not begun within two hours, the person can die. Call 911 if you are concerned about someone with dangerous heat-related symptoms