Selected characteristics of these 79 AIDS patients are listed in Table 1. Detailed information is available for the 62 case-patients from Belle Glade. Investigations in May 1985, May 1986, and August 1986 revealed that 19 adults with AIDS in Belle Glade could be directly linked to at least one other reported AIDS case by sexual contact, by sharing of needles during IV drug abuse, or both. The town was divided into neighborhoods as determined by the 1980 decennial census. A proportionate-sampling scheme was used to interview and test persons living in and around the neighborhoods in which most of the AIDS patients resided.
Further analyses are in progress to determine specific risk factors for infection.
The high rate of AIDS in western Palm Beach County has focused national attention on this area. In western Palm Beach County, the high cumulative rate is largely the result of high rates of AIDS among IV drug abusers and their sexual partners. Therefore, if no such information is available concerning the relevant sexual partners, a case is characterized as having no risk factors. References Pape JW, Liautaud B, Thomas F, et al. The acquired immunodeficiency syndrome in Haiti.