HIVinfected man linked to 11 new cases

MAYVILLE, N.Y. (AP) At least 11 young people became infected with HIV,
and health authorities said today they traced the outbreak to a man who
approached teen girls in schools and parks and traded drugs for sex.

Chautauqua County Health Commissioner Dr. Robert Berke said the 20yearold
man continued having sex after he learned he had HIV, the virus that causes
AIDS.

Officials said they were going outside the regular rules of privacy for
people with HIV or AIDS because the circumstances were ``so extraordinary.''

Public health authorities counted 28 cases of direct sexual contact and 53
cases of secondary contact people who had sex with any of the 28.
Seventeen other cases were still being studied, bringing the total number
of people possibly linked to the man to 98, Berke said.

``Many of the cases involve teenagers, some quite young, with initial
contact apparently begun at school and community parks,'' Berke said.

``This case demonstrates the unacceptable level of drug and alcohol use in
our teens,'' he said. ``Sex for drugs appears to be implicated in at least
some of the contacts.''

The man, who was not identified, is in custody in the New York City area,
the PostJournal of Jamestown reported today.

The state Health Department sent sexually transmitted disease experts into
Chautauqua County, located in rural western New York, to assist local
officials in tracking down people possibly infected by the man, or by those
he infected, according to state spokeswoman Frances Tarlton.

``We also will be providing free HIV counseling and testing for people who
might come forward as a result of the announcement,'' she said.

Tarlton said she has never heard of a case in New York state where one
apparent HIV carrier possibly infected so many others.

Chatauqua County, which borders Lake Erie, has a population of about
140,000, including 34,000 in Jamestown, its largest town. Mayville, the
county seat, is about 300 miles northwest of New York City.