Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1985. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
Miami Herald - Saturday, DEC 21 1985
Ellyn Ferguson, Herald Staff Writer
County health officials are asking the state for a specialist, special medical equipment and money to perform autopsies so the county can meet the federal Centers for Disease Control's stiff standard for determining AIDS.
But local officials won't know whether their request will become reality until the state Legislature starts its 1986 session.
Health officials say identifying AIDS victims will tell them where cases are concentrated and whether any new risk groups are involved. State money and attention also goes to areas with high caseloads.
Dr. James Howell, director of the state's Health Program Office and a member of the Governor's Task Force on AIDS, said Florida is trying to build a framework to deal with AIDS, a fatal disease that destroys the body's immune system.
Task force members will meet with Gov. Bob Graham today, Howell said.
However, he said, "I would see what they're asking for as compatible with a number of areas (under discussion)."
The county Health Department clinic in Belle Glade has nearly 100 suspected AIDS cases. The list includes people who have AIDS symptoms or have antibodies to the HTLV-III virus, which is believed to cause AIDS.
The department wants to end the disparity between coastal and western Palm Beach County in diagnosing suspected cases of AIDS.
Belle Glade and its sister cities of Pahokee and South Bay have a year-round population of 50,000. Dr. C.L. Brumback, director of the Palm Beach County Health Department, and county epidemiologist Dr. Dale Tavris say the distance from the more populous coast means that some possible AIDS patients are not receiving bronchoscopies -- lung biopsies -- that could help diagnose AIDS while they are still alive.
Autopsies on suspected AIDS patients also would help diagnose cases. The autopsies are not mandatory in Palm Beach County and cost several hundred dollars.
The inability to confirm Belle Glade's growing list of suspected cases can be frustrating, one nurse said.
"I know in my mind they have acquired immune deficiency," she said. "Everyone who cared for them knows they had acquired immune deficiency, but you can't confirm that to CDC (Centers for Disease Control.)"
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