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) - Tuesday, December 24, 1985, Page: 8
Jon Van, Science Writer
A spokeswoman for the Chicago Department of Health said the woman agreed to the test after counseling with health advisers. The test indicates if a person has been exposed to the virus, but it isn't a test for AIDS.
At present, neither city, state nor federal health officials have a formal policy regarding AIDS among prostitutes. A spokesman for the Illinois Public Health Department said it has no police powers to require a suspected prostitute or anyone else to submit to the HTLV-III antibody test against his will.
The state also has no powers of quarantine for people exposed to the virus or for people with acquired immune deficiency syndrome, the immunity- wasting condition spread by sexual intercourse, sharing of infected hypodermic needles or transfusions with infected blood. Male homosexuals and intravenous drug users are at highest risk for contracting the disease.
A state AIDS task force appointed last month by Gov. James Thompson probably will turn its attention to the question of the spreading of AIDS through prostitutes, a spokesman said.
Chicago health officials are expected to have a policy on that issue within a month, and a federal policy on the spread of AIDS among heterosexuals now being formulated by the federal Centers for Disease Control will also address that matter.
In the first five days that anonymous testing for the HTLV-III antibody has been offered by the city, 184 persons, mostly male homosexuals and drug users, have sought the test, the spokeswoman said.
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