Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1984. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The New York Times - October 10, 1984
Scientists say AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome, is spread through sexual contact; most of its victims are homosexual men. AIDS destroys the body's ability to fight disease,
Dr. Mervyn Silverman, San Francisco's Public Health Director, said at a news conference that the 14 establishments "have been inspected on a number of occasions and demonstrate a blatant disregard for the health of their patrons and of the community."
He said the establishments were among 30 businesses investigated by undercover health officials since an April ordinance went into effect banning "unsafe" sexual activity at sex parlors and bathhouses. The 14 that he ordered closed have not complied with the ordinance, said Dr. Silverman, who has been under pressure from Mayor Dianne Feinstein to order the shutdowns.
The authorities posted closing notices effective at noon on the sex club buildings. If a notice is ignored, the city would go to a judge to obtain a court order shutting down the operation.
Dr. Silverman's announcement came just a week after the department released figures showing an increase in reported AIDS cases in San Francisco, where officials estimate that 15 percent of the city's population of 700,000 is homosexual.
Last month 39 new cases of AIDS were reported, for a total of 723 since July 1981. Eighteen AIDS patients died in September, the department said. According to the Centers for Disease Control, a Federal agency based in Atlanta, 6,122 AIDS cases have been reported throughout the United States and 2,734 of those patients died.
Dr. Silverman said antibodies of the suspected AIDS virus had been found in 40 percent of the homosexual male population studied in San Francisco.
Educational Drive in New York
In New York City, the Department of Health has not ordered the closing of any bathhouses but has conducted an educational campaign among homosexuals describing the hazards posed by such facilities.
As a result, according to Marvin Bogner, spokesman for the department, 3 of the 10 bathhouses in the city have already closed voluntarily.
The department requires any facility having a swimming pool to be licensed and inspected. Private clubs that do not have a pool are not regulated.
"We believe an educational approach is more productive," Mr. Bogner said. "Our hope is that by publicizing the fact that communal activity in the bathhouses is a probable cause of the spread of AIDS, the bathhouses will close for lack of patronage."
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