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, July 4, 1985
Randy Loftis, Herald Staff Writer
Many health officials have been concerned that people would go to blood banks on the pretense of giving blood just so they could get the test.
However, blood banks aren't telling the patients the test's results. The test is not entirely reliable -- it can either fail to detect exposure to the virus or suggest exposure when none has occurred. Health officials also warn that the test does not detect AIDS, but only the antibody the blood system develops when exposed to the virus believed to cause AIDS. Researchers have not developed a test to detect the virus itself, which is called HTLV-III. A positive test for the antibody does not mean a person has AIDS or will develop it. Doctors diagnose AIDS only through intensive examination of patients, not by using the blood test. "The Health Department does not encourage any person to be tested for this antibody because it is not helpful in the diagnosis of AIDS. It merely measures (the) antibody against the AIDS virus," Dr. Dale Tavris, the county's epidemiologist, said in a statement Wednesday. "Even so, we recognize that some people will want the test because of the publicity surrounding it," Tavris said. The tests will be anonymous; no one in the Health Department will know the person's name or address. Health officials will counsel those tested on how to interpret the results and what to do about it. Tests will be by appointment only. The Health Department will start taking appointments Monday. Those wanting the test can call 837-4891 in West Palm Beach, 272-9700 in south county and 996-1600 in the Glades, from 8 a.m. to noon and 1 to 5 p.m. Palm Beach County has recorded 89 confirmed cases of AIDS. A disproportionate number has been detected in the Glades area, with a high percentage falling outside the traditionally recognized risk groups -- homosexual or bisexual men, intravenous drug users, hemophiliacs and those receiving blood transfusions.
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Copyright © 1985 - Miami Herald. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the Miami Herald, Permissions, One Herald Plaza, Miami, FL 33132-1693 TEL: (305) 376-3719. http://www.herald.com.
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