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  Press Summaries

MMWR
May 21, 1999

MMWR articles are embargoed until 4 p.m. Eastern time on Thursday.


MMWR Synopsis
  1. Illegal Sales of Cigarettes to Minors — Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1999
  2. Determination of Nicotine, pH, and Moisture Content of Six U.S. Commercial Moist Snuff Products — Florida, January - February 1999
  3. Prenatal Discussion of HIV Testing and Maternal HIV Testing — 14 States, 1995-1997

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Synopsis May 21, 1999

Illegal Sales of Cigarettes to Minors — Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; El Paso, Texas; and Las Cruces, New Mexico, 1999
The enforcement of access laws, coupled with retailer education programs, can help reduce cigarette sales to minors.

PRESS CONTACT:
Ralph Caraballo, Ph.D.
CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
(770) 488-5493
A new study released by CDC, in collaboration with the Mexican Secretariat of Health (SOH), the Chihuahua State Department of Health (CDH), the Ciudad Juarez Department of Health (CJDH), the Texas Department of Health (TDH), and the New Mexico Department of Health (NMDH), demonstrated significant differences in the percentage of retailers who illegally sold cigarettes to minors in three cities located along the U.S.-Mexico border. The study, which was conducted in January and February 1999, found that the percentages of retailers who illegally sold cigarettes to minors was 6.1 percent in Las Cruces, New Mexico, 18.0 percent in El Paso, Texas, and 98.1 percent in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. The marked difference in sales rates between Ciudad Juarez and the two U.S. border cities is possibly due to the enforcement of minors' access laws and retailer education programs in the United States.

  Determination of Nicotine, pH, and Moisture Content of Six U.S. Commercial Moist Snuff Products — Florida, January - February 1999
The use of smokeless tobacco can cause nicotine addiction.
PRESS CONTACT:
Patricia Richter, Ph.D.
CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
(770) 488-5493 (Alternate: Bridgette Garrett, Ph.D., same phone number)
A new study released by CDC found substantial differences in pH and unprotonated (free) nicotine in six leading U.S. moist snuff brands. The smokeless tobacco products were purchased and analyzed from stores throughout Florida (Daytona Beach, Fort Myers, Miami, Orlando, Tallahassee, and Tampa/St. Petersburg) from January 5 to February 7, 1999. The study findings revealed a wide variation in nicotine dosing capabilities among the brands studied. Studies of nicotine and other addictive drugs suggest that the rate at which drugs are absorbed is an important determinant of their addiction potential. The Surgeon General concluded over a decade ago 1) that the use of smokeless tobacco is not a safe substitute for smoking cigarettes and 2) that it can cause addiction, cancer, and other adverse health effects in humans.

  Prenatal Discussion of HIV Testing and Maternal HIV Testing — 14 States, 1995-1997
Health-care providers should routinely counsel all pregnant women, regardless of their risk, about the benefits of being tested for HIV.
PRESS CONTACT:
Mary Lyn Gaffield, M.P.H.
CDC, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention & Health Promotion
(770) 488-5325
The U.S. Public Health Service recommends that health-care providers routinely counsel all pregnant women about HIV prevention and encourage them to be tested for HIV infection so that zidovudine therapy can be initiated, if indicated. The U.S. has seen a dramatic reduction in mother-to-child HIV transmission rates. However, a survey of recently delivered mothers found that recollection of a discussion about HIV testing with a prenatal health-care provider in 1997 ranged from 63.4% to 86.7% in 13 states. In 1997, recollection of being tested for HIV during prenatal care or at the time of delivery ranged from 58% to 80.7% across states. In most surveyed states, recollection of a testing discussion significantly differed by maternal race, age, and type of prenatal health-care provider. The results of this study emphasize the need to increase health-care providers -- especially private sector providers -- awareness of the importance of HIV testing during prenatal care.

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