European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 05, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse A Quot a a. . a a a a a. A. a. a 7a a disease that changed the world incurable virus spreads death and terror editor s note it started with a scientific whisper 10 years ago. On june 5, 1981. In the decade since. Aids has grown from a rare affliction in Gay men to a pandemic. Disease affecting millions worldwide. After a 10 years aids is a fact of life a and death. By Fred Bayles the associated press a decade ago today a centers for disease control newsletter noted the puzzling cases of five Gay a men in los Angeles suffering from pneuma Cystis Carinio a rare. pneumonia found in patients whose. Immune systems were failing. The next month another report 36 Young homosexual men suffering from Kaposi s Sarcoma a rare cancer that normally afflicted Only elderly men with. Weakened immune now alarm Bells were sounding. Quot physicians should be Alert for Kaposi s Sarcoma . Pneumonia and other. Opportunistic infections associated with immunosuppression in homosexual men a. Warned the cd. A within months it would become Clear that a new peril had been unleashed on the world and that there was no know cure a. Quot a. A Quot a a a a -. Ten years later there still is no cure a but there Are treatments that have prolonged lives. There is no end in sight to suffering caused by aids a but the disease is not spreading As quickly As it once did. It has also been_10 years of images a both Noble and. Ugly a that will never be forgotten by those who lived. Through them. There were the fright ened Hospital orderlies leaving food trays in the Halls Quot outside the rooms of aids patients teenager Ryan White at first isolated and _ rejected then fighting to educate the nation about aids until the Day he died the Ray family with its three his infected sons who were forced to flee their Florida Home after it was firebombed the Eye. Opening death of actor Rock Hudson and the Many people from All walks of life who stepped Forward to announce they had aids surgeon general c. Everett Koop defying the policies of his own administration to speak out about the need a for widespread aids education and a a compassion for the sick and dying and a the aids memorial quilt each panel ,. N representing a person killed by aids. Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or aids is caused by the human1 immunodeficiency virus known As his which attacks key cells of the body s immune system making the individual vulnerable to a Range of rare cancers and. Opportunistic infections. The transmitted through anal and vaginal sexual Intercourse through the sharing of contaminated hypodermic Needles and us it f a it. A ii p a \ h t tin Ltd i a a f a tit it it i Brian Hale a Cousin of aids victim Ryan White sits on a Bench next to White s grave during a memorial service for the teen held by family and friends earlier this year. Military infection rate Low a and going lower Urvashi Vaid holds a protest sign during a speech by president Bush on aids. From his infected pregnant Domenjo their fetuses. In rarer cases it has been transmitted through blood transfusions Quot. Organ donations and breast milk. A i the virus has been known to remain. Dormant in the body for 10 years or longer before the immune system begins to Wear away. Once aids symptoms appear the remaining life Span is typically about two years. A. _. In the past 10 years the term Safe sex has entered the Public lexicon and the Gay Community decimated by death and disease has mobilized a Stark Meiying see world in Pace 1 by Chuck Vinch Washington Bureau the infection rate for the virus that causes aids is still growing in the civilian population but the military seems to have the problem under control. A ,. As Many As 1 5 million americans a six out of every 1,000 a Ray be Carryg the human immunodeficiency virus his according to the centers for disease control. ,. In the military however the number of a service members on Active duty who carry the virus has dropped by half in the past three years. a a Quot Quot in april 1980, More than 1.75 million personnel had been screened and 2.232 service members who had tested positive were on Active duty for a rate of 1 3 per 1,000. R a a by this past april almost 2 38 million. Service members had been screened but. Only 1,745 with positive tests were on a five duty a rate of 0 7 per 1,000. 7 Pentagon health officials credit Quot a scrupulous recruit screening a heavy education Effort among the Acrive duty population for that Success it you hav Elfie virus you can t get into a a the service said a defense department . At the same a a very Active education program to make those already in the services . Of the problem and How they can protect _ a a a ,. . it. a a a a a the policies put in place by the. Pentagon and the services to manage the. Virus Are 1 stringent but fair Quot the official said among the Basic tenets a a routine screenings Are performed for All Active duty personnel on an average of. Once every two years. a a those who test positive Are. Allowed to continue on Active duty As Long As their. Condition does not keep them from physically per forming their jobs Only when they reach that Point Are they medically a discharged. A personnel carrying the virus Are not eligible Tor. Assignment outside the 50 a United states and puerto Rico and Quot generally Are barred from assignments m stateside based units or jobs that Are a a considered deployable to overseas. locations. 1 _. Quot we re not going to toll people who a otherwise fit for duty that they re going to _ be booted the service because they have the the defense department Quot official a. Quot at the same time we have Tatarko into account such factors As unit readiness. T Host nation sensitivities and the need to closely Monitor the medical condition of these people when we devise assignment a policies for them to said. Y 7. See military on Page 1 wednesday june 5, 1931 the stars and stripes Page 1
