Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1987. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Chicago Tribune (CT) - Thursday December 3, 1987
John N. Maclean, Chicago Tribune
"This is the most significant infectious disease this nation has ever faced," retired Adm. James Watkins said at a White House press conference in which he discussed an interim report the commission had just given President Reagan. "It is a significant problem; it is not going away. It is here for a long time."
Watkins said the commission has been working hard since he took over as chairman eight weeks ago, in the wake of the resignations of its two top- ranking members, but is far from ready to make pronouncements on controversial issues. Nonetheless, he said, the commission has discovered some problems connected with AIDS to be of such urgency it feels it must act more quickly than planned.
He said that instead of waiting until midsummer to make a final report, as called for by its mandate, the commission will report by the end of February on four issues: the debate over the number of people infected with the virus, known as HIV, that causes acquired immune deficiency syndrome; the need for home health care programs for AIDS patients; the lack of availability of drugs in the U.S. to treat AIDS; and the lack of treatment for intravenous drug abusers, a high-risk group.
Concerning the numbers issue, Watkins said a separate report Wednesday by the federal Centers for Disease Control should not be taken as a downplaying of the AIDS problem.
"It is unclear to the commission why there is still debate over disease projections," the interim report said. "This information is critical in determining the size and target of resources allocated for prevention programs, education and health care."
The commission has scheduled two days of hearings next week on the question of how many Americans have the AIDS virus.
Watkins appeared to criticize government procedures that result in slow approval for drugs used to treat AIDS. He said the U.S. government has approved only one, AZT, while there are 42 to 44 such drugs being used worldwide.
The chairman said the commission has heard testimony from AIDS patients who have obtained the drugs in foreign countries and found them to be helpful. He said medical experts on his staff favor a "streamlined" approach for quicker U.S. approval of such drugs.
Watkins acknowleged that the commission had been "legitimately" criticized in the past for ineffectiveness. But, he said, "The commission is now on solid footing. I think we've got our act together."
The commission originally was criticized for being out of touch with the AIDS issue, or unsympathetic to AIDS patients. Watkins said his staff now includes one person with AIDS, who he said had just gone into the hospital with pneumonia, and another who is a homosexual.
"I think we've learned some new insights by having this kind of closeness within the staff," Watkins said. "I don't think you need everybody as a commissioner who either has AIDS or has these other interest-group feelings."
The interim report to Reagan stressed the need for a "comprehensive national response" to AIDS. Watkins said the commission expects to address such controversial issues as mandatory testing.
"Too much time has elapsed and too many people have become afflicted while questions remain unanswered," the report said.
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