In response to Joy Gido`s brief letter (”AIDS quarantine?”) in the Feb. 2 Tribune, I would challenge her remarks. The idea of a quarantine is an attractive one for many people in America who do not understand the disease and who respond out of fear and hysteria. Ms. Gido`s comments underscore the true need in America regarding AIDS: that of education.
Most scientists and medical professionals stress how ineffective quarantining persons with AIDS (PWAs) would be. The disease is not easily transmitted: Casual contact with an AIDS carrier will not result in contamination (as could occur from contact with someone with smallpox or bubonic plague, for example). History indicates that epidemics of these diseases led to some form of quarantine because the medical profession was unable to stop their spread.
Surely one of the most important occurrences of our times has been the advance of the medical profession–leading in this case to identification of the causative agent of AIDS and knowledge of its mode of transmission (drug abuse, some sexual practices). All responsible agencies and individuals stress the extremely low risk members of society face in contractings AIDS. What would a quarantine accomplish? The persons with AIDS are not now a risk to the general population. In fact, the threat of a quarantine would only drive those people who feel they might be at risk further away from medical attention. Thus a quarantine could greatly increase the threat of AIDS, not eliminate it.
Who does Ms. Gido assume will finance the quarantining of the more than 1 million people thought to be exposed to AIDS? Who will house and clothe, feed and support financially such people? What happens to their careers? Or their families, who may rely on them for support? Where would the AIDS quarantine area be? In Ms. Gido`s neighborhood? Some abandoned island? Such nonsensical ideas as Ms. Gido`s are becoming all too frighteningly common in this age of AIDS hysteria. Let`s urge our elected officials to promote the funding of medical and biochemical research that is critically needed to end the threat of AIDS; that would solve the AIDS problem.
