Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1983. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The New York Times - August 6, 1983
Ronald Sullivan
The Governor, during a bill signing ceremony in his office at the World Trade Center, described the measure as a "clear statement representing New York's concern for the victims of this baffling and dangerous epidemic."
At the same time, Dr. David Axelrod, the state's Health Commissioner, said at the ceremony that the money represented a major commitment by the state to fight the deadly disorder.
Dr. Axelrod also said he had "encouraging news" that the number of new AIDS cases being reported in New York "seemed to be leveling off." The Commissioner's report of an apparent peaking of AIDS cases was consistent with a similar report in June by Dr. David Sencer, the City Health Commissioner. Dr. Sencer said at the time that the rate of increase of new cases in the city "appears pretty much to have leveled off and reached a plateau."
Nationwide Situation Worsens
However, there were no reassuring reports from the national scene, with the latest Federal figures showing that the number of AIDS cases being reported weekly had more than doubled in the country in the last six months.
The national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said the number of AIDS cases increased to a weekly average of 53 in July, as against 24 a week in January and 11 a week in July 1982.
As of Aug. 1, the Federal agency said, 1,972 cases had been reported and 331, or 17 percent, occurred during the last six weeks. It said New York City had reported 44 percent of the cases.
Dr. Sencer said yesterday that the number of AIDS cases in New York City was not doubling. "We have been seeing a steady 50 or so new cases a month since January, and 40 or so new cases a month in the last six months of 1982," he said. Reports Explained
Asked to explain the apparently opposite trends shown by his and the Federal figures, Dr. Sencer said, "The rest of the country is playing catch-up in reporting their cases, while we have already caught up."
Dr. Sencer said, for example, that while the city reported 70 or so cases to Atlanta last month, 20 of them were old cases going back from 6 to 9 months that were never reported before.
Dr. James Curran, the head of the Atlanta unit working on AIDS, said he could not account for the different figures.
"My reaction," Dr. Curran said, "is that I don't want to give false assurances that the problem of AIDS is going away, and I am sure New York officials do not want to either."
Dr. Curran said his office would review New York's reporting in an effort to determine if old cases were being counted as new ones. Where the Money Will Go As for New York State's AIDS funds, $4.5 million will be used to establish an AIDS Institute within the State Health Department to oversee research and health strategies. About $600,000 is for assisting AIDS victims and $150,000 for public information programs.
State Senator Roy M. Goodman, a Manhattan Republican and the principal sponsor of the bill in his house, said, "This legislation will be viewed as a landmark in the fight against this killer epidemic."
AIDS, which destroys the body's immune defenses, primarily afflicts homosexuals and intravenous drug users. The disorder has no known cause or cure and medical experts say AIDS is ultimately fatal for most of its victims.
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