Developments in Brief : AIDS Explosion Reported in Europe

AIDS appears to be spreading at an alarming rate in Europe among drug addicts, mostly in Italy and Spain, the World Health Organization says. The organization’s Weekly Epidemiological Review, citing reports from 27 countries, said the overall proportion of drug addicts among cases of acquired immune deficiency syndrome in Europe doubled from 6% to 12% between September, 1985, and September of last year. The health organization said nearly 75% of the 421 drug-addict cases were in Italy and Spain.

Health experts long have been concerned that infected intravenous drug users would become a major conduit of the deadly virus to the heterosexual population.

In all, 3,735 AIDS cases were reported in the World Health Organization’s European region by Sept. 30, an increase of 694 in three months, the group said. About 72% of European victims were homosexual or bisexual men. There were also 108 children under age 15.