Photo by Flickr user clevercupcakes using an Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic Creative Commons license

A new report [PDF] indicates that 14 percent of men who have sex with men (aka MSMs) test positive for HIV—"a rate five times higher than that of the entire city’s adults and adolescents."

Thus: "Based on these high rates, the Department of Health has updated its guidelines for DC men who have sex with men, recommending they get tested twice a year for HIV," according to a city release. The city has previously recommended that all citizens get tested yearly.

More scary stats: "More than 40% were unaware if they were HIV positive prior to the study....Nearly 75% of men testing positive were older and more men of color were positive....More than one-third did not know their last partner’s HIV status....Over 40% did not use condoms."

Also: "Contrary to some perceptions, younger men generally had safer sex behaviors; while older men got tested less and used condoms less and had more sex partners," says the report.

The good(ish) news is that surveys of MSMs in Baltimore, Los Angeles, Miami, New York and San Francisco showed infection rates of 25 percent or greater. And D.C.'s ahead of all those jurisdictions in testing rates. So there's that.

"Our rates are higher than West Africa....They’re on par with Uganda and some parts of Kenya."

—Dr. Shannon Hader, city AIDS czar, March 16

Prior to this year, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty had called HIV and AIDS in the city is his No. 1 public health priority. But while he made key changes in the background—appointing Hader, for one, and placing a new emphasis on testing—Mr. Meaningless Press Conference has rarely done high-profile AIDS-awareness events. He even forgot to mention the epidemic in his yearly State of the District address. That behavior's been put in sharper focus by the release of new testing results in March, which came packaged in the Washington Post with the above quote. The juxtaposition of the national capital with the Third World prompted an avalanche of hand-wringing and attention to the issue, not that that worked out for Fenty. As the year ended, he saw his valuable behind-the-scenes work go almost wholly unheeded as the Post set its sights on the city's AIDS epidemic (and a Pulitzer Prize). A series of articles by reporter Debbie Cenziper uncovered shocking instances of mismanagement and poor spending—virtually all of which predated the Fenty administration.

Photo by Darrow Montgomery

More from LL's Quotes of 2009

His spokesperson, Natalie Williams, released a statement:

Councilmember Barry says he is feeling much better and is following his medical treatment plan. "I would like to first thank God for giving me the strength to rise above. By his grace, and the wonderful work of my doctors and the staff at Howard University Hospital, I am able to address my health issues more effectively. Nearly 8 months after receiving a new kidney, I am feeling very well and I am ready to get back to work. I thank the residents of the District for their love, concern, and many prayers."

1. Chile used almost 350 times more antibiotics in its farmed salmon in 2008 than Norway, its chief competitor.
2. Chile is the biggest supplier of salmon supplier to the United States. So, if you’ve purchased the pretty pinkish fillets lately, they’ve likely come from Chile, though the story does note that Safeway and Wal-Mart, have reduced purchases of Chilean salmon due to concern about the fish illnesses that require producers there to use so many antibiotics.
3. Some of the antibiotics used in Chile are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

Well, it’s not the lawn, exactly, but the country’s most widely used weed killer that French scientists say also kills human cells and may cause miscarriages, abnormal fetal development and low birth weight babies.

Environmental Health News reports today that one of the inert ingredients in Roundup, the country’s most widely used herbicide, might not be so innocuous after all. The story goes on to say:

The new findings intensify a debate about so-called “inerts” — the solvents, preservatives, surfactants and other substances that manufacturers add to pesticides. Nearly 4,000 inert ingredients are approved for use by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Roundup has been used for decades It’s active ingredient, glyphosate, has been subjected to studies and found safe. But, molecular biologist Gilles-Eric Seralini and his team of scientists at France's University of Caen, decided to turn their microscopes on various ingredients in Roundup and see how they interact. Their conclusion: the inert ones increased the toxic effect Roundup has on human cells. The biggest culprit is polyethoxylated tallowamine, or POEA, found “more deadly to human embryonic, placental and umbilical cord cells than the herbicide itself – a finding the researchers call ‘astonishing,’” Environmental Health News reported.

Roundup’s manufacturer, Monsanto Co., and the EPA dismissed the concerns as unfounded. But controversies over so-called inert ingredients have erupted in Argentina, Croatia and Japan, the story says.  And, more than 250 environmental, health and labor organizations have asked the EPA to make changes to how inert ingredients in pesticides are identified.

Monsanto is already having a difficult year. Last month, it warned that profits are sagging due to increased competition from Chinese Roundup knockoffs, which are also applied to commercial crops. The company said there is now a worldwide glut of weed killer – a scary prospect in light of today's news.

Luckily there are lots of chemical-free lawn care options.

Vinegar, an old standby for a variety of household chores, is also said to be a potent herbicide. Then there’s corn gluten. I’m not sure what corn gluten is exactly, but it’s supposed to be a weed killer extraordinaire.

Or you can just plant wildflowers, native grasses and clover. Greenies say native plants require less water and attention. Clover, meanwhile, fixes nitrogen in the soil, which makes it a natural fertilizer for other plants.

Mayor Adrian M. Fenty is minutes from convening a press conference to discuss the cases.

LL is told that both students have recovered and that they continue to be quarantined out of an abundance of caution.

UPDATE, 4:50 P.M.: Here is the official press release:

DC Announces Two Probable Cases of H1N1
311 Launches H1N1 Call Center, New Resources for Residents, Schools and Businesses
 
Washington, DC – Mayor Adrian M. Fenty and Dr. Pierre Vigilance, Director of the DC Department of Health (DOH) today announced the District’s first two probable cases of the H1N1 influenza virus, also known as swine flu.  The Mayor also announced new informational resources for District residents, businesses and educational institutions.
 
 
DOH has sent samples from two probable cases of H1N1 influenza to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for further testing to confirm whether the two individuals have the virus.  The two cases are both students at George Washington University in the District.  One of the students has a history of travel to one of the H1N1 virus areas of interest, the other is linked through exposure to the first case.  Both have been treated, and neither students have been hospitalized.  DOH and the George Washington University are working together to identify any possible exposures and prevent the further spread of the virus.
 
“Thankfully both of individuals appear to be recovering well,” said Fenty. “Over the past week the H1N1 virus has spread across the country and we are working with the CDC using best practices from other states who have already had cases and put in place measures to curb the spread of this virus.”
 
“As we identify potential cases in the District and the greater metropolitan area it’s important for residents to remember that the best way to prevent the spread of disease is to wash your hands frequently, cover your cough with your arm or your sleeve and stay home from work or school if you are sick,” said Vigilance.  “As with any flu virus, we should do our part to help prevent others from getting sick.”
 
DOH continues to actively monitor the known and potential cases in the region and across the country.  The CDC expects the number of cases in the United States to continue to increase and be identified in new locations.
 
 
New Information Resources Available for Residents, Schools and Businesses
Residents can now use the Mayor’s Citywide Call Center to ask questions about the H1N1 virus to health professionals.  By dialing 311 residents can get the latest information from the District, the CDC and on the virus.  Residents calling from a non DC number can call 202-737-4404.
 
The District has created a H1N1 information page at www.doh.dc.gov to provide up to date information on H1N1 and resources for individuals, homes, schools and business.  DOH will continue to update the site regularly with new resources and guides.
 
The site includes information on:
·         the H1N1 virus
·         safely caring for family members who potentially have H1N1
·         sanitizing areas that may have been contaminated by the virus
·         preparing for a possible influenza outbreak at your education campus or business
·         talking to children about H1N1
·         preventing the spread of H1N1
 
About the H1N1 Influenza Virus
The H1N1 virus is a new strain of influenza (the flu) that is a combination of four strains of influenza including swine influenza.  Symptoms of influenza include runny nose or nasal congestion, cough, sore throat and a fever above 100 degrees. The incubation period from time of exposure to illness is 2 to 5 days. Anyone who thinks they have     flu-like symptoms should call their healthcare provider.  Healthcare providers can advise residents on treatment and prepare to see a patient in person without putting other patients at risk of catching the disease.
 
This is the first time the strain has been documented in humans and there is not currently a vaccine to protect people from contracting the disease.  The best way to prevent the spread is to follow simple hygiene rules:
·        Frequent hand washing with soap and warm water
·        Avoid touching the eyes, mouth and nose.
·        Influenza is spread from person to person by sneezes and coughs – cover sneezes and coughs with your sleeve or a tissue.
·        Avoid contact with those who are already ill.
·        Individuals who are ill should avoid crowded public places as much as possible and keep a 6 foot distance between people at work and other public places.
·        Anyone with a fever and respiratory illness should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections, including influenza and other respiratory illnesses, to others in their communities.

Those comparisons came from Dr. Shannon Hader, head of the city's HIV/AIDS Administration and a former public health officer who did extensive work in Africa. But LL and LL's boss had the thought: Is this just another example of the District suffering in an apples-to-oranges comparison—you know, where the District is compared to a state or country encompassing both urban, rural, and suburban areas rather than to its peer cities?

So after today's press conference on the numbers, LL asked Hader to put the numbers in context of American cities: "Our rates are twice as high as New York City and five times as high as Detroit," she said, adding she wasn't aware of a city with a higher infection rate.

Hader added this thought: "What I'm most concerned with is...southern cities are starting to have the same complexity of epidemic that we have, where you have every risk factor contributing. I hope that in a sense we can be a cautionary tale to some of our other southern urban centers who if they don't take the opportunity to know they're data and intervene now, they could evolve to matching us, and we don't want anyone to evolve further."

Hader and her boss, health director Dr. Pierre Vigilance, both made the point that D.C. in recent years has developed one of the most comprehensive testing regimes in the country. Vigilance, in his slight British accent, pointed to a "surveillance bias," where "doing a better job of testing people means more people actually get tested and more people get results. And you may find that there are more people with disease than you knew beforehand."

The unspoken subtext, of course, is that if New York or Detroit or Uganda or Kenya tested as thoroughly and reported their data as thoroughly as the District does, the District might not look so bad.

In any case, the four folks behind the mic at this morning's presser—Hader, Vigilance, Mayor Adrian M. Fenty, and Councilmember David A. Catania—urged District residents to get tested regularly for HIV.

So LL asked each of them when their last test was. Said Hader, "I've been tested as recently as I access heath care, so i guess I'm a few months behind in my annual checkup." Vigilance said, "I was tested last year and need to get tested again this year." Fenty said he'd been tested "within the last year," and Catania said, "It has been some time," citing his now seven-year-long committed relationship as reason for his delinquency. (For the record, LL was tested when he had a checkup in fall 2007.)

Said Barry spokesperson Natalie Williams, "I think of only two words: true soldier."

The surgery, which began shortly before 5 p.m. yesterday and ended around 11 p.m., has been thus far judged successful by doctors, though the possibility of rejection still exists. Scarring from previous surgery for prostate cancer complicated the procedure somewhat, doctors said, but not usually so. Chief Surgeon Clive O. Callender said that per usual procedure, Barry will get out of bed briefly today for routine exercises.

This morning, according to Williams, Barry slowly raised his hand, touched thumb to forefinger, and said, "I am A-OK." Bishop Glen Staples, pastor of Ward 8's Temple of Praise, said Barry was "in good spirits" and had an appetite this morning. He was given broth and tea.

Yesterday, Barry aides had promised a 10 a.m. press conference with the patient himself and the kidney donor—perhaps in a nod to Barry's 1977 press conference from an intensive-care bed at Washington Hospital Center after being shot in the District Building by Hanafi Muslims. But with Barry in the Howard ICU less than 12 hours after the surgery finished, that, unsurprisingly, wasn't going to happen. It was a blessing for reporters: A press confab at the hospital featuring various doctors, aides, and confidantes started right on time.

The woman who donated the kidney has been identified as Kim Dickens, a 47-year-old Ward 6 resident. Williams declined to detail Barry's prior relationship with Dickens, other than to say that the two had known each other for "more than 10 years."

Said Williams of Dickens, "She's in tremendous spirits this morning....She was most concerned about how the former mayor was doing. To me that really speaks volumes about who this woman is."

It's unclear when Dickens was first approached about donating her kidney to Barry; Williams described Dickens as being part of a group of about six Barry friends who were asked to get tested for compatibility. When notified she was a match, said Williams, "she said she just began to weep tears of joy just to be able to assist in saving Marion Barry's life.

This morning, Barry received a telephone call Mayor Adrian M. Fenty attempted to call Barry, Williams said, and 24 people are on a list to visit the mayor-for-life in his hospital room. Councilmembers Kwame R. Brown, Michael A. Brown, David A. Catania, Mary M. Cheh, and Harry Thomas Jr., as well as Chairman Vincent C. Gray, were all mentioned as having called or visited their ailing colleague before the operation or having sent their best wishes.

Last night, a small group gathered to hold vigil while the surgery was underway. The group, LL is told, included Barry's spiritual adviser Rev. Anthony Motley, friend Robert James, chief of staff Bernadette Tolson, and companion Chenille Spencer. Earlier in the day, Christopher Barry, his son with late wife Effi, visited with his father. Estranged wife Cora Masters Barry was not present, Williams said.

"The waiting was hopeful waiting," says Motley, who prayed with Barry before the surgery. "He sent the tone, based on his attitude about it. As we were walked down the hallway [to the operating room] it was very joyful."

A press conference with Barry and Dickens, Williams said, will be held late next week.

LL will have a lot more about this drama in his column this week, which will be posted later today, but Catania is wasting no time in attacking WWC Executive Director Don Blanchon for alleged financial mismanagement. Blanchon has yet to testify; he's sitting in the chamber as Catania grills pro-WWC witnesses, most of whom say they were asked to testify by the clinic.

Most witnesses seemed unaware that the hearing was focused on the clinic's finances rather than the care it delivers. Catania called it "strange" that the clinic wouldn't have sought assistance from District government before considering drastic layoffs.

Said one witness, "If what you say is true, it's not strange. It's alarming."

UPDATE, 3:45 P.M.: Catania is really laying in to Blanchon, a truly virtuoso performance of witness badgering. At one point, Catania started hammering Blanchon for not approaching the government for assistance. "This is a dereliction of you responsibility!" he said. Blanchon asked if he could comment. Replied Catania, "I'm not sure it's going to do you any good, but give it a shot."

Later Catania referred to the December firings this way: "It was a putsch! A classic Stalinesque tactic!" Blanchon was not able to respond after being compared to a mass murderer. "No, you may not respond," Catania said. "Just sit back and make yourself comfortable."

Jim Graham, who led the clinic for 15 years before becoming Ward 1 councilmember, has just entered the hearing. Graham has pretty much stayed out of clinic affairs since joining the council, but told LL yesterday that he was very concerned about the layoffs.

UPDATE, 4:30 P.M.: If Blanchon was hoping Graham was going to throw him a lifeline, it isn't happening. He's particularly peeved about the circumstances of the December firings of senior staff, just before Christmas with no severance. "How would you feel" being fired under those circumstances, Graham asked. Said Blanchon, "I would feel horrible."

"You know there's this thing called karma...," Graham said.

UPDATE, 6:15 P.M.: LL's column on the matter has just been posted.

Catania closed the hearing at about 5 p.m., after personally attacking Blanchon's credibility and leadership. "I feel like I've been duped," he told Blanchon at one point. "I don't trust you." He went on to criticize the clinic's declining financial health, saying, "Structurally, you have a deficit that is not going to be fixed by you.

Blanchon briefly mustered a defense of his tenure, speaking up for his employees and board, but it only set Catania off on another extended rant.

Before closing, Catania held out the possibilities of subpoenas and/or depositions. He then essentially called for his resignation: "I don't have confidence in your leadership of the clinic," he said. "I feel duped. Gerry Connolly [the former chair of the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, now congressman] feels the same way, other members of this council."

Blanchon had no comment after the hearing.

Sandy Ethridge, 59, was pronounced dead at Prince George's Hospital Center on the morning of Dec. 15. He had been admitted on Dec. 11 to the Addiction Prevention and Recovery Administration's detox facility on the D.C. General campus, according to sister Annie Holder.

Ethridge, a resident of Potomac Gardens in Capitol Hill, had been sent to detox under a court order, Holder says; he had been admitted to the facility several times before for treatment of drug and alcohol addictions. On Monday morning, according to an account related to Holder by a detective investigating the death, Ethridge was seen by a fellow patient using a needle and syringe to inject drugs in a facility bathroom. When patients were awakened for breakfast a few hours later, according to the account, he was discovered to be unconscious and unresponsive and was taken to the Maryland hospital.

"I said, 'Well, where did he get [the drugs] from?" Holder says.

An investigation into the cause of death is pending, according to the Maryland medical examiner's office. A call to the investigating detective today was not immediately returned.

If Ethridge was indeed determined to have died from a drug overdose, it raises serious questions about security at the APRA facility, which is charged with providing indigent District residents with inpatient addiction treatment. Facility policies require strictly controlled access to the facility and thorough searches of patients upon admittance.

Dr. Pierre Vigilance, head of the District's health department, declined to comment on the specifics of Ethridge's death. "The passing of any client is unfortunate. We take this situation very seriously, and we are in the process of carefully reviewing this matter. Out of respect for our client's privacy we are unable to provide details of his demise at this time."