Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020 - Thursday, 13 November 1997.
Of the first 1,166 county residents tested in the two weeks after Nushawn Williams was accused of knowingly infecting several women, all but one tested negative, state Health Commissioner Barbara DeBuono said Wednesday.
Dr. DeBuono could not confirm whether the person who tested positive had any sexual contact with the 21-year-old New York City drifter or his partners.
"It is good news because penetration of the virus in this community may not be what we thought it might," Dr. DeBuono said of the results.
However, no one yet knows how Williams may have affected other communities where he lived. Authorities have identified 32 former sexual partners of Williams in New York City and four in Monroe County. The results of their HIV tests were unknown, the commissioner said.
Health officials announced two weeks ago that Williams had transmitted the HIV virus to nine of 28 women with whom he was known to have had sexual contact in Chautauqua County, and that one of the women had subsequently infected a man. When Williams' partners in turn identified dozens of their sexual partners, fear spread that hundreds of people may have been infected through direct or indirect contact.
The HIV virus usually can be detected within the first six weeks of contact, Dr. DeBuono said. Williams has not lived in the county for several months.
While the initial test results were hopeful, Dr. DeBuono warned against adopting a false sense of safety, especially among young people.
"Whether they may have skirted HIV this time, they may not may be so lucky next time," she said.
"This reminds us we have to redouble our efforts to empower youngsters to make the right choices," she said.
Dr. DeBuono said the state would provide a total of $1.15 million to communities throughout the state to help them develop programs to address adolescent HIV prevention.
Chautauqua County was to receive $150,000 immediately to help pay for the expense of the Williams case.
County Health Commissioner Robert Berke said the county would expand peer counseling programs with the hope that teen-agers will take warnings about HIV and AIDS more seriously if they hear them from people their own age.
Copyright 1997/The Associated Press. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Permissions Desk, The Associated Press, 50 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10020.
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Copyright © 1997 - Associated Press. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the AP Permissions Desk.
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