Spread of AIDS Levels Off in S.F.
Health officials say the spread of AIDS in San Francisco has leveled off for the first time, and they credit educational efforts about taking precautions against the fatal disease.
But the plateau could be temporary if homosexual men quit using condoms during sex, said Dr. Dean Echenberg, head of communicable disease control for San Francisco.
No other large city has reported a leveling trend in AIDS cases, said Chuck Fallis, a spokesman at the national Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.
In the last 11 months, the number of cases reported in San Francisco has ranged from about 60 to 70 per month, Echenberg said. There had been a steady increase to that level since 1981, when acquired immune deficiency syndrome was recognized, he said.
“We haven’t seen anything like this before. So it’s an encouraging sign that there may be a leveling off of AIDS in the gay population in San Francisco,” he said.
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