County Health Official Expects AIDS to Spread to General Population

The incidence of AIDS, a fatal disease that primarily strikes homosexuals but appears to be spreading throughout the general population, is rising rapidly in San Diego, and some women and children here will probably be stricken soon, Dr. Donald G. Ramras, the county’s deputy director of public health, told a City Council committee Wednesday.

In his annual report to the city, Ramras offered a snapshot of local health problems for 1984 and early 1985.

Ramras touched on AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), sewage, the incidence of hepatitis, the rights of non-smokers and an apparent rise in the number of complaints about rats.

Ramras called AIDS “the disease of the year” in San Diego as well as the nation. Since the disease was identified in 1981, 79 San Diego residents have been stricken, 11 of those in 1985.

So far no cases of AIDS have been reported among either women or children in San Diego, Ramras told the council’s Public Services and Safety Committee. The disease has crossed over from the homosexual community to the general population in other communities around the nation, Ramras said, and he expects that to happen eventually in San Diego too.

“I’m crossing my fingers because, sooner or later, our number will be up,” Ramras said.

He noted that there is now a new AIDS antibody test that indicates whether a person has been exposed to the disease. The San Diego Blood Bank will use that test on everyone who donates blood in order to screen out those carrying AIDS.

Unfortunately, the test cannot be relied upon as a true indicator of which person has AIDS, Ramras said.

“This is going to cause some anxious moments for some people” who will not develop AIDS--and it may fail to pick up other people who will develop AIDS, he noted.

“But the test is going to be used to screen blood because if a unit of blood is falsely positive and discarded, there’s no harm,” Ramras said.

On other matters, Ramras noted that although there have been continuing sewage spills in the South Bay, his department has found “no cases of disease” that can be directly linked to exposure to sewage at the border. Still, he said, “because of the long-term nature of the pollution, it is highly likely that disease has occurred.”

Meanwhile, the incidence of hepatitis appears to have declined recently. In contrast to the situation several years ago, when the county issued numerous health advisories to those who may have been exposed to hepatitis in a restaurant, the county in 1984 issued only three advisories. Two of those cases occured at the County Jail downtown, and the third occurred at the bingo hall on the Barona Indian Reservation, Ramras said.

Ramras also expressed his concern about a measles epidemic among college students across the nation that has resulted in three deaths.

So far there have been no such measles cases here, Ramras said. But, he added, “Can this happen in San Diego? I have to say: ‘Yes.’ ”

Ramras said some local universities, notably San Diego State University, have been conducting a major effort to get their students vaccinated. However, so far the campaign seems to have had little impact on most students.

At San Diego State, although all students have been notified of the need for a vaccine, only 2,000 of the 33,000 students have been vaccinated, Ramras said. He said that many college-age students have never been vaccinated against measles or were administered a vaccine that provides only limited protection.

Also, Ramras noted, complaints about rodents and related problems have increased significantly. In 1984, there were 10,015 complaints--six times the number logged 10 years ago.

In another matter, the rights of non-smokers became a significant issue in 1984. A county no-smoking staff is now handling complaints about violations of new laws that regulate smoking in restaurants and offices, Ramras said.