Chicago Tribune (CT) - THURSDAY January 14, 1988 Edition: SPORTS FINAL Section: CHICAGOLAND Page: 1 Word Count: 484
Jean Davidson

Dr. Bernard Turnock, director of the state Department of Public Health, said the draft guidelines are meant to guard the identity of individuals who test positive for exposure to the AIDS virus but who do not have the disease. He said the rules do not require physicians to report the names of those people to the state, nor do they require them to list their sex partners.

But the guidelines would require physicians to report the names of individuals who have contracted acquired immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS- related complex.

The proposed rules also set laboratory requirements for AIDS antibody testing and the testing of donated blood, sperm and tissue and establish counseling and testing-center requirements and procedures for notifying school principals when a student has AIDS.

The proposed testing and tracing procedures would cost the state $650,000 to $700,000 a year, Turnock said at a news conference in the State of Illinois Center.

"We will be virtually deputizing physicians and other health-care providers to assist us," he said. "But we want to maintain confidentiality between patient and physician."

Individuals with AIDS, the HIV virus or AIDS-related complex will be encouraged to inform past sex partners of the possibility of infection or to provide their doctors with the names of those who might have been infected. Public health officials or local health departments would then contact and counsel the partners.

Six public hearings will be held throughout the state next month to solicit public comment before the proposed guidelines take effect in May or June, Turnock said. A hearing in Chicago is scheduled for 11 a.m. Feb. 26 in the ground-floor auditorium at the State of Illinois Center, 100 W. Randolph St.

Turnock, whose confirmation as public health director was threatened last year when he opposed the initial proposals for tracing the sex partners of AIDS-infected people, said assurances of confidentiality built into these guidelines meet requirements of the law while encouraging infected people to report partners who might be at risk.

Dan Dever, speaking for the Howard Brown Clinic, praised the draft guidelines for recognizing that individuals cannot be forced to divulge information on sex partners and for placing more emphasis on voluntary and confidential tracing.

"We think it's a more workable solution and also does not discourage people who might be in a high-risk group to take the test," Dever said.

Meanwhile, Turnock said the growth in the number of AIDS cases has slowed dramatically since 1984, when reported cases leaped 135 percent over those of the previous year. Illinois cases reported last year totaled 1,457, a 35 to 40 percent increase over those in 1986.

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