European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - July 29, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse Tuesday july 29, 19b6 the stars and stripes Page 3 gis in Europe to begin tests for aids from Page 1 attacks the body s immune system making it Vul Cra ble to fatal diseases. There have in at least 12,000 deaths recorded in the stain since aids was first recognized in 1981. There is no known cure Tor aids Benenson said. Not every one who is exposed to the virus will develop ads and while the incubation period of the Sims aids is not an indicator of homosexuality or drug use. It s wrong to Label people or. Michael Benenson average 5.5 years in can Range up 10 14 years. Soldiers will be scheduled for tests by units through out the year. New soldiers arriving from the stale already will have been screened. Generally when a unit is called to give blood Sam Ples it also will attend an educational session including a video on aids and the Chance to ask health professionals questions about the disease. The blood samples will be screened by the i oth medical Laboratory in Lan Stuhl using a lest called the Eusa enzyme linked immune sorbet assay. If the Sample tests positive two out of three times twill be sent to the Stales fora test called Western blot. If the Western blot is positive medical authorities will inform the Soldier and take another blood Sample. If the Sample again tests positive with he Western blot the Soldier will be medically evaluated further and counselled about the happens next depends on the degree of the individual s infection. The Walter Reed army medical enter in Washington has a system of six stages. The first indicate presence of the antibody but no symptoms. Trie sixth is characterized by an impaired immune system and the presence of serious diseases Suchias cancer. Soldiers in the first four stages could remain in the army but they would be reassigned to units in the Stales. Soldiers in the last two stages would be processed for medical separation from the army. They would retain their medical benefits. At the time that the first Western blot lest comes Back positive medical authorities also would counsel the Soldier s commander about the ramifications of the disease for the Soldier and the unit. A commander if he s a Good commander is a very important support person Tor the Soldier Benenson said. He s got to know so he can support that sol Benenson said it will be difficult to reassign or medi Cally separate soldiers and maintain Complete confidentiality but the army is doing everything it can to keep the mulls private. At much confidentiality As can be built into the system is being built in he said. Soldiers who test negative will be informed of their results and Benenson stressed that a positive result Only on the Eusa test does nol indicate that a Personas exposed to the virus. The el1sa was designed to be Overly sensitive because it was designed to screen donated blood he said. Once a Soldier is identified As having been exposed to the virus he will be interviewed by medical authorities for information that could help prevent the spread of aids. None of the information obtained during the inter View about consensual sexual activity or personal drug use May be used against the Soldier although it May be used for separation for physical disability or the convenience of the government. One of the real values out of what we re going to to doing is to be identifying people who Are positive an to work with them and to try to limit the spread of the disease Benenson said we re nol going to do that if people Are afraid to name their contacts. Ii does t do us any Good if a homosexual says thai he s been with a Soldier s sexual contacts will be informed and As much confidential Ity As can be built into the system is being built in or. Michael Benenson urged to come for testing and counselling. The Soldier will not be named. If a Soldier tests positive the Soldier s spouse also will be tested. The children will be tested too but Benenson said it is unlikely that they would have been exposed and medical authorities want to be Able to further prove that. Medical authorities believe the virus is transmitted through intimate sexual Contact homosexual or heterosexual through sharing of contaminated Needles by transfusion of contaminated blood or blood products or from infected mothers to their unborn infants medical authorities do not believe the disease i transmitted casually. There will not be general screening of family Mem Bers or civilian employees although they May request the testing if they have reason to believe that they have been exposed to the virus. Go has aids and Hope i m not dying yet by Carmen Roides Heidelberg he shifts slightly in his chair licks some lint off his bus and flashes a shy smile. So far my Only symptoms Are drenching sweats a night and some slight rashes on my body he says. Lam nol dying yet. He tries hard to project a Happy front even though he found out less than an hour before that Bis Western blot test came Back positive for Htlv-1ii, the aids virus aids. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome. One flinches at the sound of the word because it s synonymous with death. But the 21-year-old married Usa eur Soldier Al ready has made up his mind to continue living. When hey told me a Tittle while ago that the Western Boot was positive i was actually relieved he says. It was like taking a thousand Pound weight off my shoulders. I knew in my heart that it was positive All the time. Now i know i be got to find a the Soldier acts at ease As his Story unfolds. He exudes an air of Confidence and even cracks a few jokes about his situation. When 1 first found out i called my Mother and told he hesitates a moment As if in deep thought the adds with a Grin you know the wont thing about having aids it s convincing your Mother you re Hai suddenly the smile fades the eyes lower and he becomes serious again. When i first suspected i May have aids i did t want to do anything about it he says. Nobody wants to find out they re going to die. But my mom Back in san Francisco is a doctor and she threatened me with life and limb if i did t tee help. We re very dose and 1 Trust her. She told me about a new drug the Fra jus approved for testing and insisted that there s Hope for me. Anyway went to a chaplain because nobody asks questions if you see a chaplain for personal never know who you can Trust. I mean you can t very Well go to your platoon sergeant or on sick Call with All those people standing in line and say i there i Wanna get tested for aids Bui anyway the chaplain we a godsend for me. We talked about two hours and then the chaplain referred me to the Hospital preventive Medicine people who answered questions and counselled me outlining what aids was and then sent me on to the Hospital for my blood test. All of it Vas completely Only people who knew were me the chaplain the preventive Medicine Community health nurse and the lab the Soldier praised the excellent cart he has received especially from Laboratory personnel who Dis played their professionalism by not backing away from him or putting on rubber gloves and masks before touching him. I think that s really neat. They re totally educated about aids. They should be. I feel that in this Case the army s really taking care of the Soldier. As an aids patient you re wondering about your the minute people find out you have aids they think the worst of you. Everybody turns his Back on you self anyway he continues. You re already going through a lot of stress and thinking what did i do wrong Why am i being punished and you Don t need the person who s drawing your blood or counsel ing you to pass judgment on you the Soldier knows that his illness has curtailed any Long Range plans for career and a family of his own but Bis wife has been supportive. We re both upset of course but we feel there s still Hope. If i get the treatment that my mom is talking about. And if the army will allow me to get it. We both realize How Short life can be now. And if 1 live we should never have he pauses swallows hard lakes a Long shaky breath then goes on. At least we know my wife is Safe he says. Be cause she can l take the Pill we be never had sex with out Protection. And although it s not guaranteed she still stands a better Chance than she would have with out it. She s been screened for aids before and was negative but they re going to lest her again to make sure shifting in his chair and fidgeting a Little the Soldier tries to regain his composure. Until i discovered i had aids i thought of myself As a respected person. I had Long Range goals. I was a real go getter. I saw some positive things that could be accomplished for my unit. For the whole army. I saw sergeant major stripes in the Distant future and was looking Forward to 20 years or maybe finishing my degree and coming Back in As an officer. But who in their right mind thinks he s going to get aids and die before he has a Chance in life and of course the minute people find out you have aids they think the worst of you. They re afraid of you. You suddenly find out you Don t have any friends nobody to turn to. Everybody turns his Back on you. I m sure that if i met some Macho Field Soldier on the Street and told him i had aids he d kill me before he had even Given me a Chance to explain that i m not what he might expect. They Don t even want 10 realize thai i m no danger to them. They re More of a danger to me. If they sneeze and i get a cold i could die. That thought alone has kept me up at night watching the plants another thought that plagues the Soldier is his Job which he will be leaving behind possibly without a replacement when he returns to the states. I always put my Job school or whatever ahead of everything he says. I m dedicated a Good Soldier. I feel i m an asset to any unit. When 1 first found out about my aids. I could t quit worrying about getting someone to replace me and gelling him trained and furthermore i m command sponsored i have an obligation to serve so Many the Soldier is quiet again you know he says after a few moments i thought i had another 60, 70 years Lefi. I did t think this could Ever happen to me. Well i m going to do everything in my Power to stay alive with or without the army. If my mom thinks the new drug can help me then 1 Don t mind being exploited. And if i thought my positive Outlook could help even one other Soldier i d give up All confidentiality that All the health care providers have tried so very hard to sic. Cut the to let it in no in Oyugi Al Public Ulton Lor the Mem mail Comotha Taffler Law a
