ChurchSafety

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The federal government (through the Center for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health) has assured the public that it is very difficult for AIDS to be transmitted through the ordinary kinds of social contact that occur in a church or school. However, transmission of the disease cannot be ruled out.

The risk of transmitting the AIDS virus is present when AIDS infected infants or young children having open wounds or abrasions are kept in close proximity with other infants or children. Occasionally, young children receive minor cuts during Sunday school or similar church activities. There is always a risk to others if such a child carries the AIDS virus. Similarly, children in the church nursery often chew on objects that another child has recently had in his mouth. The problem is how to minimize risks under these circumstances.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to this question. Some churches have adopted the policy of treating every child as if he or she had an infectious and communicable disease. This type of approach results in the implementation of basis hygienic procedures in children's programs. For example, open wounds are immediately bandaged by attendants wearing rubber gloves; children with obvious viral infections or other conditions causing them to cough are not admitted; and all children are closely monitored to protect against any contact that may create a risk of transmission. AIDS is not even mentioned in such a policy. As a contagious disease, it is automatically covered by the broader policy, as it should be. There is no need to "single out" one particular disease. In reality, there are many contagious diseases of far greater significance to a church's children than AIDS (such as hepatitis).

Some church leaders wish to notify nursery attendants that a particular child is HIV-infected. Disclosure that a child is HIV-infected presents potential legal problems, since a growing number of jurisdictions are providing legal protections to AIDS victims which in some cases prohibit the disclosure that someone has AIDS. So, it is imperative that all applicable federal, state, and local laws be reviewed to see if notification is permitted. In some cases, notification may be permitted with the written consent of the victim's parent or guardian. Of course, parents who learn that a child in the nursery has AIDS may still be outraged that they were not informed, but if the church's communicable disease policy is itself drafted (and adopted) by church members and imposes detailed requirements to reduce the risk of transmitting AIDS (and other diseases), then few parents would probably object.

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