The Nation : New York Fears 1,000 Infant AIDS Cases

The “alarming” results of anonymous testing for the AIDS-related virus indicate New York state could see 1,000 infected infants born this year, state health officials said. The findings have prompted a special appeal from state Health Commissioner Dr. David Axelrod to doctors to begin special counseling for women of childbearing age. In November, health officials began a controversial anonymous testing program to sample the blood of 100,000 people for evidence of the AIDS-related virus over a six-month period. “In New York City, the rate of infection is 1.64%, or one in every 60 women giving birth. The rate in Manhattan and the Bronx approximates 2%, or one in every 50 women,” a Health Department document said.