Jessica Gray
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 16/06) - Public health officials and police are denying claims that a man with full-blown AIDS has infected six women in Yellowknife.

The claim comes from a widely circulated e-mail that RCMP Sgt. Darcy Fleury says is blatantly false.

"I was surprised and taken aback by the information," he said.

He said he received lots of calls about it last week. The e-mail was circulated throughout the Yellowknife RCMP office.

"We don't believe it's accurate," said Fleury.

NWT chief medical officer Andre Corriveau said he heard about the e-mail early last week.

"Nothing (in the e-mail) is accurate," he said. He's not sure of the motivation behind the e-mail and thinks a rumour like this could have serious ramifications.

"Even if people think they're doing the right thing, something like this could harm people."

The unidentified person sending the e-mail wrote that they received information from "Peggy's dad," a supposed police officer, warning women about a man with AIDS, described as between 20 and 25 in age. The person reported that the man has AIDS and has already infected six Yellowknife women with the disease.

Fleury said they are investigating the claim that the message came from an officer.

Police and health officials say they don't know how many people may have received the e-mail or where it originated.

RCMP say that the original message may have come from an Internet chatroom called Yellowknife Chat, hosted by Weirdtown.

So far, circulation of the message has been confirmed as far away as Inuvik.

Corriveau said there are approximately 25 people in the NWT have HIV/AIDS. However, there is no way to tell how accurate the number is because some with HIV don't know they have the disease, he said.

People with HIV/AIDS who knowingly infect others in Canada can face harsh criminal sentences for what can now be classified as attempted murder.

The virus can be spread through unprotected sex, infected needles or blood.