D.C. Clinic Reports Decline in AIDS Tests; Whitman-Walker Cites Terror-Related Stress

The number of people seeking free testing from the Washington region's largest HIV/AIDS service agency dropped 27 percent after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, a trend that concerns public health workers. The agency attributes the decline to emotional stress caused by the attacks, anthrax in the mail, economic woes and the potential for more terrorism in the nation's capital. The immediate Washington area's decline in testing may be unusual: Maryland officials said testing increased statewide after Sept. 11, and Virginia officials said statewide data are not available on testing trends for the past two months.

Whitman-Walker Clinic spokesperson Michael Cover said Washington's situation is different because the city has been the focus of concerns about terrorism. The resulting decline in tourism has caused many layoffs in the hospitality industry, and the onset of bombing in Afghanistan increased the stress on military personnel and their families. Because HIV testing can be extremely stressful, many people may be avoiding adding extra tension to their lives, said Mick Ellis, director of HIV counseling and testing for the clinic. Before Sept. 11, Whitman-Walker sites were testing 150 people a week. For two months afterward, the number dropped to about 110 a week. In the past two weeks, the count has crept up slightly, but it remains significantly below earlier levels, Cover said.

D.C. health officials say 6,649 residents are known to be living with AIDS, and about 15,700 others are HIV-positive without AIDS symptoms. Depending on the day of the week blood samples are taken, HIV tests at Whitman-Walker require two to eight days to be processed, a period that is extremely worrisome for people whose behavior puts them at risk of becoming infected. Last year, about 6,400 people were tested for HIV at Whitman-Walker, and 3 percent of them were found to be HIV-positive.

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