Proposition 64: AIDS Initiative

One modest but necessary step to fight AIDS is for public health officers to know who the infectious carriers of the virus are so that they can counsel them as to ways to reduce the impact of the virus on their systems and ways to avoid transmitting it to others. That is what Proposition 64 will accomplish. It will require that the identity of carriers of the AIDS virus be confidentially reported to public health officials.

As incredible as it may be, under current California law doctors are required to report all cases of six sexually transmitted diseases (all of which are treatable) and 52 others contagious conditions to public health authorities. However, they are violating the confidentiality law if they report those who are infectious carriers of the universally fatal, untreatable AIDS virus. (The names of those who actually have AIDS must be reported.)

How can we expect to ever slow the spread of AIDS with such a law? We cannot, and that is why we need Proposition 64.

It is time for California to wake up to the fact that AIDS is killing our people. We can begin to wake our leaders up to this fact by voting yes on Proposition 64, not because we are in a panic but because it is time to take firm action NOW!

WILLIAM E. DANNEMEYER

Member of Congress

39th District

Fullerton