Government's Turn

THE FESTIVAL OF LIFE which took place all over campus last week brought a welcome shift in focus from much of the public debate about AIDS. The festival represents the sort of constructive effort that will be crucial in dealing with what promises to be a growing problem.

However, cautious private programs are no substitute for a concerted governmental response not only to the medical problems posed by AIDS, but also to its potential for dividing communities and provoking inappropriate and often hysterical reactions.

While medical research into the AIDS virus has proceeded at a phenomenal pace, with doctors making new discoveries every month--or even daily, the prospect of a vaccine or a successful treatment for the disease is still years away. Some facts about AIDS are clear, however. The number of people known to be carrying the AIDS virus has been doubling every year since it was first discovered in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, 17,001 people have been diagnosed as actually suffering from AIDS as of February 3. However, current estimates place the number of carriers--those people who are infected with the virus yet show no symptoms--at 1,750,000.

In other words, those people now recognized to suffer from the disease are only the tip of the iceberg. Although these statistics estimate a large population of people carrying the virus, at the present time there are no known cases of AIDS transmission by casual contact. This fact becomes significant in light of the countless hours of contact between health care workers and AIDS patients, especially those millions of person-hours of contact before doctors understood the viral nature of the disease and thus its possible dangers.

Though no one denies the potential for a devastating epidemic, the worst consequences of AIDS so far have been its tragic impact on a relatively small number of individuals and the antipathy it has generated toward groups at highest risk.

AIDS is a problem that defies quick answers. Unfortunately, however, it also invites quick reactions--from individuals, employers, fearful communities, and the media. Precisely where we would hope for a quick reaction--on the part of the government--decision-making on public education, prevention programs, and social services for AIDS patients has proceeded at a snail's pace.

At the very least, the Festival of Life has helped to alleviate the misconceptions of those quick reactions and has given us positive awareness about AIDS in the form of caring and concern. It is to be hoped that the festival will also provide an example to spur government efforts at lessening the social as well as the biological impact of AIDS.