Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - Thursday, May 30, 1985
Herald Staff
Only Broward among the South Florida counties is prepared to start offering the test Monday. Dade and Palm Beach health officials are working to offer the test by July 1, officials said.
The $20 test for exposure to the HTLV-III virus, believed to cause AIDS, is not a certain indication of AIDS.
But state health officials rushed to offer it anyway to keep potential AIDS victims from going to blood banks to donate blood to get the HTLV-III test. Blood banks were the first to offer the test, starting in March.
The blood of the estimated 1 percent of AIDS victims not detected by the tests could have spread the disease.
AIDS is a fatal illness that strips the body of its ability to fight disease.
Appointments will be required for testing, results may take a week, and those unable to pay still can get the test, health officials said. Dade residents should call the county health department, 325-2573.
Precautions are being taken to protect the identities of those tested. Only an identifying number will be used, no names.
The Dade County Public Health Unit will be recruiting gays to have the test, said Daniel Richmond, head of the county's HTLV-III testing program.
The testing is starting under a $967,000 federal grant expected to last 90 days. After that, the state will have to pay the program's way, a Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services spokesman said.
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