Subject: MP ltr.: SFChronicle on AIDS deaths in CA drop 60%
From: M Petrelis <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 9 Jan 1998 16:14:53 EST

Michael Petrelis
2215-R Market Street, #413
San Francisco, CA 94114
(415)621-6267

January 9, 1997

Letters to the Editor
SF Chronicle
901 Mission Street
San Francisco, CA 94114

Editor,
	
	Count me among those who applaud the dramatic decrease in AIDS deaths across
California. Your front page story, AIDS Deaths Drop 60% In California, January
9, reported that more AIDS victims in the state are living longer for several
reasons; chief among them is the wide availability of protease inhibitor drugs
to fight AIDS.
	I was greatly disappointed the reporter of the story, Mr. Sabin Russell,
didn't quote a single AIDS victim. Out of seven people quoted in the article,
not one was publicly identified as someone with the disease, and perhaps
benefiting from the new class of AIDS drugs. I think it's good Russell went to
so many politicians and bureaucrats to get their interpretations of the data.
But, I wonder, did Russell also attempt to find one AIDS victim, either in San
Francisco, or elsewhere in the state, and ask them what they thought of this
development? Why were the voices and concerns of AIDS victims noticeably
absent from this important story?
	AIDS victims may be living longer in California, but the SF Chronicle can’t
find any of us to include in stories directly about us. A situation I hope
your paper corrects immediately. 

Sincerely,
Michael Petrelis