"East Berlin Risks Grows"

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1989. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

"East Berlin Risks Grows"

Nature (12/28/89) Vol. 342, No. 6252, P. 847
Dickman, Steven

Abstract: In an effort to keep East Germans from bringing HIV back from their visits to West Berlin, public health officials from both Germanies are joining to begin an information and condom-distribution program. Niels Sonnichsen, an official at the East German Ministry of Health, recently visited an AIDS self-help group in West Germany. Until just a few weeks ago, AIDS was a taboo subject in East Germany. Because East Germany has virtually no drug trade, the new education efforts are targeted at gay men. The message is: practice safe sex when in West Berlin. East Germany has reported 16 cases of AIDS and seven deaths. West Berlin, which has 2 million residents, has recorded 882 AIDS cases and 349 deaths, according to the West German Federal Health Office. While West Berlin has an estimated 5,000-10,000 HIV carriers, East Germany has only an estimated 200-400 carriers among its 16 million residents. Berliner AIDS-Hilfe, the self-help group, distibutes condoms at gay meeting places. The next step, a spokeswoman said, is to train East German doctors in diagnosis and counseling.

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