Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, June 29, 1993 TAG: 9306290130
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Cox News Service
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Medium
"A strong, consistent voice of leadership could have steered courses of action that might have interrupted the relentless continuation of HIV spread, instead of silently tolerating the epidemic's escalation," said Dr. June Osborn, chair of the commission.
Since the first AIDS cases were reported 12 years ago, more than 289,000 AIDS cases and more than 179,000 deaths have been recorded, according to the panel's report, "AIDS: An Expanding Tragedy."
It said at least 1 million people already are infected with the HIV virus, leading to as many as 80,000 new cases of AIDS annually.
While the number of new cases among homosexuals is expected to stabilize by 1995, the rate of infection among heterosexuals, women, adolescents and minorities will continue to rise.
"We were given an early warning by the gay community that we failed to take notice of," Osborn said.
Although "new hope surged with the election of President Clinton, now there is cause for serious concern that the response to the epidemic is again tangled in politics," the report said.
As it ends its four years of work on AIDS, the commission made two final recommendations. They encouraged leaders at all levels to speak out to their constituencies and to develop a clear plan to confront AIDS.
"We will perish without moral leadership," said Commissioner Mary Fisher. "We must speak thoughtfully, boldly and consistently. If we lower our voice . . . we have failed not only at public policy, but at public trust."
by CNB