Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune (CT) - THURSDAY December 12, 1985, Page: 6
Jon Van, Science writer
Corrections and clarifications.
-- Stories in some editions of the Dec. 6 and Dec. 12 Tribune listed an incorrect telephone number to call for appointments for the City of Chicago's test for the antibody to the HTLV-III virus associated with AIDS. The correct number is 744-7353. The incorrect number was supplied by the Chicago Department of Health.
Two centers offering tests for antibodies to the virus associated with AIDS opened Wednesday amid considerable interest from people seeking the tests. Chicago Health Department officials said they have received more than 400 calls about the tests since Friday and have made appointments for more than 160 persons.
"We're getting about 50 calls a day on this," a spokeswoman said.
Tests for the HTLV-III antibody are being offered at Municipal Social Hygiene Clinic, 27 E. 26th St., and at Lakeview Sexually Transmitted Disease Clinic, 2861 N. Clark St. The clinics provide testing by appointment only by calling 744-7375. Callers are given a code of initials and numbers involving their mother's maiden name and their birth dates for appointments to provide anonymity.
People being tested are given counseling before blood is taken for the test and again in about a month, when test results will be available.
Dr. K. T. Reddi, medical director of the city's Bureau of Public Health, stressed that "this is not a test for AIDS." A positive result means the person probably has been exposed to the HTLV-III virus but does not mean he or she will get AIDS or even show any symptoms of the illness. Conversely, a negative result does not mean a person is immune to AIDS.
A health department spokesman said the counseling is the most positive aspect of the antibody testing "because it gives us a chance to talk to high- risk people one on one. It is the best way possible to educate the people who most need it."
The tests, designed to identify and discard donated blood that may be contaminated by the AIDS-associated virus, are being offered only to satisfy the curiosity of people at high risk of acquiring the fatal disease that destroys the immune system.
Health officials want to discourage high-risk people such as male homosexuals and drug users from donating blood merely to satisfy their curiosity.
Fifteen more cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome were added to the city's AIDS caseload last month, officials reported. The number of cases for 1985 now stands at 153, which compares to 92 new AIDS cases diagnosed in 1984 and 39 new cases in 1983.
There have been 150 Chicago deaths attributed to AIDS since the first case was discovered here in 1980.
Among the 15 newest cases, 12 were identified as homosexual men, 2 were identified as bisexual men and one as heterosexual.
Nationally, there have been more than 15,000 AIDS cases reported to the federal Centers for Disease Control; more than half of those victims have died.
CAPTION: Graphic: AIDS in Chicago. Initial diagnoses. Deaths. Chicago Tribune Graphic; Source: Chicago Health Department.
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