Description: Meg Vaillancourt reports that a disproportionate number of African Americans have been infected with the HIV/AIDS virus. Vaillancourt reports that higher rates of transmission in the African American community are due to behavioral factors. Vaillancourt analyzes the differences in AIDS transmission between the white community and the African American community. Footage of Denise Cartier-Bennia giving a talk on educating people about AIDS in the African American community. Vaillancourt quotes statistics concerning HIV/AIDS infection rates. Report is accompanied by footage of African American residents of Roxbury and footage from interviews with people on the street.
1:00:07: Visual: A reporter on conducts interviews with African American men and women. An African American man says that he is "scared to death." An African American woman says that she doesn't know if "it is stronger on the white end or if it's stronger on the black end." Another African American man at Downtown Crossing says that no African American stars have died of AIDS; that he fears the development of an"unwarranted stigma" on the African American community due to AIDS. Shots of African Americans walking on a commercial street. Meg Vaillancourt reports that a disproportionate number of African Americans have been diagnosed with AIDS in the US. V: A chart list statistics on screen. The statistics read that 25% of AIDS victims are African American. Vaillancourt reports that African Americans represent 12% of the population. Shot of an African American woman with her back to the camera. Statistics read that African American women are 13 times more likely to get AIDS than white women; that Hispanic women are 11 times more likely to get AIDS than white women. Shots of an African American infant being examined by a white female doctor. Statistics read that 82% of infants with AIDS are African American; that 91% of infants with AIDS are non-white. Footage of Denise Cartier-Bennia (professor) saying that AIDS is affecting whole families in the African American community. Shot of a group of African Americans waiting for public transportation. Vaillancourt reports that the mode of transmission for AIDS is different in African American and white communities. V: Statistics read that homosexual/bisexual AIDS patients are 73%white, 16% African American and 11% Hispanic. Statistics read that heterosexual AIDS patients are 50% African American, 25% Hispanic and 25% white. Footage of Cartier-Bennia speaking. Shots of a group of African American teenagers crossing an urban street; of a drug user preparing a dose of heroin. Vaillancourt reports that Cartier-Bennia has studied the factors contributing to the high rate of AIDS in the African American community. V: Statistics read that African American women are 5 times more likely to get AIDS from contact with a drug user than from contact with a bisexual man. Shot of a group of African Americans boarding an MBTA bus. Vaillancourt reports that the immigration of infected immigrants from Haiti and Africa may be escalating the problem. V: Shots of military recruits laying down barbed wire in a field. Statistics read that 0.9 out of 1000 white military recruits test positive for the AIDS antibody; that 3.9 out of 1000 African American military recruits test positive for the AIDS antibody. Footage of Cartier-Bennia talking about the appearance of the AIDS antibody in military recruits. Cartier-Bennia says that one out of every 250 recruits was infected; that 10% to 30% of these recruits will eventually develop AIDS. Cartier-Bennia says that the African American community is in a "precarious position." Vaillancourt reports from a street corner. Groups of African Americans wait for public transportation across the street. Vaillancourt notes that AIDS is not an African American disease; that behavior creates the risk of transmission, not race. V: Footage of Cartier-Bennia saying that risky behavior leads to aids; that knowledge may be the most effective weapon against AIDS; that African American and Hispanic politicians have been silent on the subject of AIDS and the minority community. Shot of a group of African Americans boarding an MBTA bus. Footage of Cartier-Benia talking about the unwillingness of African American churches to discuss AIDS. Shot of an African American man crossing a street. Footage of Cartier-Bennia saying that AIDS is another problem which needs to be tackled by minority communities if they want to survive into the year 2000. Shots of African American children; of African Americans on the street; of African Americans waiting for public transportation.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 04/17/1987
Description: Massachusetts State Representatives speak pro and con on gay rights anti-discrimination bill. Reps. Salvatore Dimasi, Roger Goyette, Susan Schur, Philip Travis, Eleanor Myerson, James Miceli, Francis Woodward, Thomas Vallely, Willian Robinson. The debate focuses mainly on discrimination against gay people in the workplace, but also touches on AIDS and gay foster care rights.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 09/23/1985
Description: Seth Rolbein reports on a dramatic increase in syphilis cases in the late 1980s among women and people of color. Rolbein compares statistics on the incidence of syphilis cases among men and women in the white, Latino, and African American communities. Interviews with Dr. Tony Japour, a medical fellow in infectious disease; Barbara Neustadt, a registered nurse at Beth Israel Hospital; and Dr. Judith Steinberg of Boston City Hospital, about the latest epidemic of syphilis cases. Rolbein reports that the resurgence of cases can be traced to crack cocaine users, who may engage in sexual activity with multiple partners in crack houses. Rolbein notes that victims of syphilis may be at risk for HIV and AIDS. Rolbein's report is accompanied by clinical photos of syphilis patients and by footage of police officers investigating a crack house.
1:00:03: Visual: Shots of clinical photos of syphilis patients. The patients have severe skin lesions. Seth Rolbein reports that there has been an increase in syphilis cases. V: Footage of Dr. Tony Japour (medical fellow in infectious diseases) being interviewed by Rolbein. Japour says that syphilis was epidemic before 1945; that it was an epidemic among sexually active adults. Japour says that the disease declined after the discovery of penicillin; that penicillin cured syphilis. Japour says that after 1945, the disease declined from a rate of 70 cases per 100,000 people to 5 cases per 100,000 people. Rolbein reports that the Massachusetts Department of Public Health has compiled the latest figures for syphilis. Rolbein reports that there were 710 diagnosed cases of syphilis in 1986; that the number of syphilis cases grew steadily and then grew dramatically in 1990. Rolbein reports that more than 1700 new cases of syphilis were reported in 1990. V: An on-screen chart details the numbers of syphilis cases from 1986 to 1990. Shot of a bacteria culture. Rolbein reports that researchers had seen a dramatic growth in the number of syphilis cases only one time since the 1940s. V: Footage of Dr. Judith Steinberg (Co-director, Public Health Clinic, Boston City Hospital) being interviewed. Steinberg says that there were a high number of syphilis cases among white, homosexual men in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Rolbein reports that Barbara Neustadt (registered nurse, Public Health Clinic, Beth Israel Hospital) believes that there must be another population involved in the latest epidemic. V: Footage of Neustadt being interviewed by Rolbein. Neustadt says that the gay community in Boston has worked hard to educate community members about safe sex; that there has been a significant drop in all sexually transmitted diseases in the gay population. Footage of Japour being interviewed. Japour says that the disease is in an epidemic stage. Japour says that the number of cases among gay and bisexual white men has decreased dramatically; that the number of cases among people of color and women has increased dramatically. Rolbein reports that there was approximately one case per 100,000 people among white men and women under the age of twenty in Massachusetts in 1988 and 1989. Rolbein reports that the number of syphilis cases increased dramatically among African American men and women under the age of twenty in Massachusetts in 1988. Rolbein reports that the number of cases among African American men and women under the age of twenty doubled in 1989. Rolbein reports that there were 80 cases per 100,000 people among African American women under the age of twenty in 1989. Rolbein reports that there has been a dramatic increase of syphilis cases in the Massachusetts Latino community in 1988 and 1989. Rolbein reports that there were 135 cases per 100,000 people among Latina women under the age of twenty in 1989. Rolbein reports that statistics are comparable across the nation. V: An on-screen chart details statistics for the numbers of syphilis cases among men and women under the age of twenty in the white, African American, and Latino communities in Massachusetts in 1988 and 1989. Rolbein reports that medical investigators from Philadelphia, Connecticut and Massachusetts believe that crack cocaine is at the root of the epidemic. V: Shots of workers in a laboratory setting. An African American man hands a white bag over the counter. Shot of people walking on a street. Shot through the window of a car of a housing development. Shot of a bag of crack. Footage of Japour being interviewed. Japour says that there are crack houses where individuals sell sex for drugs. Japour says that crack houses are the equivalent of the "gay bath houses" of the 1970s. Japour says that crack makes people sexually aggressive; that clients of the crack houses may have several sexual encounters in the course of an evening. Rolbein says that syphilis is spreading quickly. V: Shots of police officers entering an apartment; of police investigating a room of an apartment. The floor of the room is strewn with trash. Footage of Neustadt being interviewed. Neustadt says that it is frightening to see young people with syphilis; that syphilis patients may eventually contract HIV and AIDS. Rolbein says that AIDS and syphilis are both spread through sexual contact; that syphilis is curable while AIDS is not. V: Shot of an AIDS prevention poster. Footage of Neustadt being interviewed. Neustadt says that the increase in syphilis probably reflects an imminent increase in HIV-positive people in Boston. Rolbein reports that the syphilis epidemic is moving away from the gay community; that the syphilis epidemic is affecting people of color and communities in the inner city. V: Shot of the entrance to Boston City Hospital.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 03/01/1991
Description: Alexandra Marks reports that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has reported that women are the fastest-growing segment of the HIV-positive population. Marks reports that many believe that the CDC has radically underestimated the number of women with AIDS. Interview with April Moore, a recovering drug addict, who has recently been diagnosed with AIDS, but has no health insurance and no steady job. A conference on women and AIDS was held in Boston recently. Interview with Jean McGuire of the Harvard School of Public Health and Martha Moon of the Fenway Community Health Center at the conference. McGuire and Moon believe that many women are dying of AIDS without being diagnosed. Moon says that the CDC definition of AIDS does not include the symptoms of female victims. McGuire and Moon say that many female victims are not eligible for medical benefits because they do not meet the CDC definition of the disease. The CDC says that there is not enough evidence to link the symptoms of women patients to AIDS. McGuire and Moon criticize the CDC's lack of initiative on the issue.
1:00:04: Visual: Footage of April Moore (recovering drug addict) walking with Alexandra Marks (WGBH reporter) through a local park. Moore and Marks sit down on some stairs outside of the playground. Marks reports that Moore is a former drug addict and prostitute who is now in recovery. Marks reports that Moore recently completed her GED (Graduate Equivalency Diploma); that Moore is looking forward to finding a job. Marks notes that Moore was diagnosed as HIV positive last year. V: Footage of Moore being interviewed by Marks. Moore says that she was in a state of disbelief when she found out about her condition; that she has known for a year now. Moore says that she does not know how long she has been infected with the HIV virus. Shots of Moore; of Marks. Marks reports that Moore is low-income, a minority and has no health insurance; that Moore is a typical woman with AIDS. Marks reports that the Center for Disease Control (CDC) has said that women are the fastest-growing segment of the HIV population. Moore notes that the CDC estimates that women comprise 11% of the HIV population. Marks reports that some experts believe that the CDC radically underestimates the number of women infected. V: Footage of Jean McGuire (Harvard School of Public Health) being interviewed by Marks. McGuire says that women are dying before they are diagnosed with AIDS. McGuire says that the medical field does not have an accurate image of the AIDS population. McGuire says that the women who die without being diagnosed were never eligible for benefits like Medicaid and Social Security. Marks reports that McGuire spoke at a conference on women and AIDS in Boston today. Marks reports that McGuire believes that the CDC has a narrow definition of AIDS. V: Shots of the conference on women and AIDS. Shots of a small AIDS quilt hanging on a wall; of attendees and panelists at the conference. Footage of McGuire being interviewed by Marks. McGuire says that the CDC definition was constructed to track an epidemic; that the CDC definition is constructed around narrow presentations of the disease. McGuire says that the CDC wants to be sure that it is definitively tracking the disease. McGuire says that the CDC definition narrows the population to males with AIDS. Footage of Martha Moon (Fenway Community Health Center) being interviewed by Marks. Moon says that women develop symptoms unknown to men with the disease; that the symptoms of women are not counted in the CDC definition. Moon says that women with HIV experience chronic yeast infections, recurrent cervical cancer, uterine tumors, and other pelvic diseases. Marks reports that Moon is the clinical director of the Fenway Community Health Center; that the Fenway Community Health Center was the sponsor of the conference. V: Footage of Moon being interviewed by Marks. Moon says that surgery eliminates cervical cancer in most women; that some HIV-positive women have recurring bouts of cervical cancer. Moon says that some of these women are completely disabled by the disease; that they are not eligible for medical benefits because they do not meet the CDC definition of the disease. Marks quotes Thomas Skinner (CDC Spokesperson) as saying that "We established this case definition of AIDS for our surveillance purposes. We do not control the use of the definition by other government agencies." V: Skinner's quote appears written on-screen in text. Footage of McGuire being interviewed by Marks. McGuire says that Medicaid has relied on the CDC definition; that the CDC refuses to take responsibility for the reimbursement structure of the government agencies. McGuire says that HIV-positive women do not care which agency is responsible. Footage of Moore being interviewed by Marks. Marks asks Moore what she will do if Medicaid will not cover her medical bills if she becomes ill. Moore says that she has not thought about it; that she tries not to think about it because stress could make her become ill. Marks stands on Commonwealth Avenue. Marks reports that the CDC says that there is not enough medical evidence to link female opportunistic infections to AIDS; that the CDC refuses to change its definition. V: Footage of McGuire being interviewed by Marks. McGuire says that the CDC refuses to include some symptoms in its definition; that those symptoms are those which are experienced by poor people and people of color. McGuire says that poor people and people of color are those who will need benefits. McGuire wonders if the dynamics of race, gender and class have anything to do with the government's reluctance to move forward on the issue. Marks reports that Moore has been unaffected by this issue so far. V: Shots of Moore walking on Commonwealth Avenue with Marks. Audio of Moore saying that she must keep an open mind; that she must stay aware in order to remain alive. Footage of Marks being interviewed by Moore. Moore talks about being afraid.
Collection: Ten O'Clock News
Date Created: 04/19/1991