Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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United Press International; Monday, October 27, 1997 - 3:08 PM EST
According to Health Commissioner Robert Berke, the man lurked places where teens hang out and offered them drugs in exchange for sex.
Berke says, "This is a young man who liked to lurk around the edges of parks and places where kids were playing maybe basketball and pick out young ladies who for some reason or another may be in a risk-taking mood and he was very adept at doing that."
Staffers have evaluated 28 of the suspect's direct contacts and 53 secondary contacts. Another 17 people are still being monitored.
With the New York State health department, the AIDS Institute and the Centers for Disease Control, local authorities have confirmed 11 cases of HIV.
Health officials say the suspect used several aliases and is not originally from Chautauqua County. They believe the sexual encounters occured from mid-1996 through January 1997.
Radio reports say the man has been arrested in the New York City area, but he can't be identified because of the state's HIV confidentiality laws.
Berke says, "What makes the last 11 HIV cluster unique is that the man continued to have unprotected sex after he tested positively for HIV and was counseled on how not to spread the virus."
He also calls this a major public health threat for New York's westernmost county.
Local authorities have set up telephone lines to handle inquiries and are offering additional training for school nurses and counselors.
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