ACTIVISTS FEAR HIV WILL GO UNDERGROUND

Albertans who fear they have HIV may go underground with the introduction
of a policy that asks infected people to identify themselves and those with
whom they had sex or shared needles, says an official with AIDS Calgary.

``If people know this is the policy they won't go out and get tested,''
said executive director Dan Holinda.

``Names will be identified . . . the system will no longer be confidential.
. .''

Alberta is contemplating an amendment to the Public Health Act, which would
make HIV reportable provincewide, said Garth Norris of Alberta Health.

The Capital Health Region in Edmonton made HIV a reportable disease Jan.
15. The decision was made after health officials discovered ``a rather
disturbing number of new infections,'' said Bryce Larke, an AIDS expert
with Alberta Health.

AIDS Calgary's Holinda said the system encourages dishonesty. Victims may
not name all those involved for fear of retribution, or they may choose to
name and embarrass people they haven't even had contact with, because of
feelings of anger or resentment.

``People are really going to be afraid . . . We're looking at big trouble
here.''

As of Jan. 15, names of those infected in Edmonton will be placed on a
private list and victims are then asked to reveal the identity of previous
sexual partners, or those with whom they've shared needles.

Those infected are given two options: they can contact previous sexual
partners and needle sharers themselves, or they can allow the medical
authorities to do it.

In all cases, the name of the person with HIV remains a secret, says Larke.

Currently only Quebec, Alberta, B.C. and the Yukon Territory do not require
reporting of new HIV cases.

But Dr. Brent Friesen, Calgary's medical officer of health, said the
measure isn't necessary to combat the AIDS virus in Calgary, especially
among intravenous drug users.

Instead, expanding needle exchange programs and improving education about
the dangers of sharing needles are better ways of combatting the disease.

But Holinda is adamant that Calgary hasn't done nearly enough to prevent
AIDS, particularly among youth.

``We're not having any success in reaching young people . . . or giving
them the skills they need in negotiation -- negotiating abstinence and safe
sex.''

But Larke argues several other diseases are also reportable under Alberta's
Public Health Act such as tuberculosis and full-blown AIDS.

And medical advances mean fewer people are progressing from HIV to AIDS,
making it harder to track the spread of the disease, says Larke.

That's why tracking HIV infection is becoming more important, says Sandor
Demeter, deputy Medical Officer of Health for the Capital Health Region.

Previously, the CHR could only log positive tests, not numbers of people
infected. In 1997, there were 217 newly reported HIV infections in Alberta,
up from 178 the previous year, but many of those could be duplicate tests,
said Larke.