[Control of AIDS, experiences and general practice from the viewpoint of public health]

In Munich, an epicentre of rising AIDS incidence, there has been a definite increase in the number of AIDS patients under medical attendance from 1986 to 1987. Over a two-year period from 1988 to 1990, there were at least 80 more AIDS-related deaths in the city of Munich alone than the number officially certified by the German National Health Centre for the larger district of Munich (postal ZIP-code 8,000-8,099). 3.2% of the patients with tuberculosis registered according to the German law for infectious disease control (BSeuchG) revealed HIV-positive. The application of the German law for infectious disease control is discussed exemplarily by means of known case histories. A report on our experience with the Bavarian catalogue of regulations concerning AIDS in various departments of the public health centre from 1989 to 1990 is given.