Monday, March 20,1989 The Battalion Page 5
4IDS apathy in Texas worries
lealth authorities, educators
.ack of funds, legislation hinder efforts in state
AUSTIN (AP) — With more than 6,000 confirmed
ises, AIDS continues its deadly spread across Texas,
ut health authorities say they are frustrated by public
pathy and lack of money and legislation to battle the
isease.
“Obviously it is increasing,” said Dr. Robert
ernstein, the state health commissioner. “There is no
gn of it leveling out. But there doesn’t seem to be any
Obviously (AIDS) is increasing.
[here is no sign of it leveling out. But
here doesn’t seem to be any
jroundswell to do much about it.”
— Dr. Robert Bernstein
state health
commissioner
roundsvvell to do much about it.”
Dr. Robert Wirag, director of the student health cen-
;rat the University of Texas at Austin, agreed, saying
:xual activity among college students doesn’t reflect a
idespread concern about spread of the disease.
"There’s a tremendous amount of apathy,” Wirag
)ld the Austin American-Statesman. “Our lectures and
resentations aren’t getting the attendance they de-
erve.”
Wirag said campus health officials are seeing the con-
equencesof“a lot of indiscriminate” sexual activity.
"The rate of infection with the virus that causes geni
al warts, say, is slowly increasing,” he said. “That’s the
cary part. We’re wondering what’s going on.”
Eight years into the worldwide epidemic of acquired
[rimune deficiency syndrome, California, with the sec-
nd-largest number of full AIDS cases in the nation,
pends$100 million annually on education and preven-
ion.
Texas, with the fifth largest number of AIDS cases
nationwide, tries to get by on $2 million a year in state
spending.
The state Department of Health this year is asking
the Texas Legislature for $45 million for the biennium
for education, prevention and treatment programs rec
ommended by the Legislative Task Force on AIDS. But
Bernstein said he was not confident the full request will
be granted.
The state’s current spending was cited by the AIDS
task force as one reason the health department has
been unable to conduct normal epidemiological surveys
to determine frequencies and distributions of the proc
ess of infection.
However, Bernstein said the biggest reason the state
has not been able to conduct adequate epidemiological
surveys has been the continued unwillingness of law
makers to provide protection from AIDS discrimina
tion.
He said that has limited health authorities to surveys
where they can be sure of fully protecting a partici
pant’s confidentiality.
“Because as soon as we start naming names there’s
discrimination,” Bernstein said. “And there’s no ques
tion there is discrimination out there against these peo
ple.”
Without better surveys of the infection process, au
thorities are left to ponder infection statistics they know
are incomplete.
So far in Texas, the vast majority of the 6,140 people
diagnosed with full AIDS have been gay or bisexual
men — 75 percent of them Anglo, 13 percent Black and
12 percent Hispanic, according to state figures.
Statewide infection statistics, which have been col
lected only since September 1987, total 3,337 cases of
infection with the virus, which experts say remains
transmissible for life. About 350 of those cases are
women.
The health department’s best indicator so far of what
may be going on in the Texas heterosexual community
is a recently completed anonymous survey of blood
taken from newborns in the state’s hospitals from April
to July 1988, Bernstein said.
Conducted with federal assistance, the survey found
94 per 100,000 newborns infected.
Warped
by Scott McCullar
Waldo
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