§ 3.104.010. Findings.

After public hearings and receipt of testimony, the Board of Supervisors of the County of San Mateo finds and declares:

(a)

That the medical condition described as Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and commonly known as AIDS is a deadly disease caused by infection by a known organism (Human Immuno-Depressant Virus) which has the potential to affect every segment of our County's population.

(b)

That the opinion of the medical and scientific community is that persons with AIDS, or any medical signs or symptoms related thereto, have been infected by the Human Immuno-Depressant Virus, which attacks and cripples the body's immune system.

(c)

That such destruction of the host immune system results in a variety of illnesses which debilitate the body resulting in a wide spectrum of clinical disease causing a high mortality rate among those so infected.

(d)

That the spread of the virus is through the exchange of blood, blood products, and semen between individuals.

(e)

That transmission of this disease is also one of maternal transmission, from an infected mother to her infant, either during fetal development or at the time of birth.

(f)

That the spread of this virus is due to specific known behaviors and actions and that there is no medical evidence of such infection occurring by casual contact.

(g)

That the public health danger presented by this virus in all of its manifestations is caused by a lengthy asymptomatic period of infection during which an apparently healthy individual may spread the disease to other individuals.

(h)

That medical studies of family groups in which one or more persons have been known to be infected by the virus show no spread of the virus other than by sexual intimacy or through the exchange of blood and blood products (including from mother to fetus).

(i)

That the HIV virus is a fragile virus which can thrive only in favorable conditions and can be protected against by the application of regular practices of hygiene, such as the use of chlorine in swimming pools and spas, the use of household bleach when washing garments or cleaning contaminated surfaces and hand and/or body washing with soap and water.

(j)

That those persons currently infected with this virus, in all of its phases and manifestations, represent a segment of our population particularly victimized due to the nature of this disease.

(k)

That the spread of this disease, in the opinion of the medical community, will increase at a high rate within our County for the foreseeable future.

(l)

That discrimination against victims of this virus exists within the County of San Mateo.

(m)

That such discrimination cuts across all racial, ethnic, cultural, and economic lines.

(n)

That such discrimination cuts across all age groups, including infants who may be especially disenfranchised by this disease.

(o)

That existing state and federal restraints on such arbitrary discrimination are inadequate to meet the particular problems of this county.

(Prior code § 3950; Ord. 3140, 04/12/88)