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Show community news AIDS Promotes Awaremess, Uimderstaimdmg of Victim Editor by Chris Thurmond, Karin Jaffie Managing Editor Bill Godwin Business Manager Mike Moser Contributing Writers Scott Allen Ronda Byrne Cara Cahoon Myriam Hernandez Joe Stewart-Mas- h Angie Russell Chris Thurmond Photo Director Mark Bricker Photo Staff Trent Alvey Ronda Byrne Bill Godwin Susie Martin Faculty Adviser Dr. Ray Ownbey The Fcruxn of Westminster College of Ss.lt Lake City will he : published and distributed eight times during the academic semester by the Associated Students of Westminster College. The newspapers address is 1840 South 1300 East, Salt Lake City, Utah 84105. ; award-winning The Forum is an member of the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Press Association. Typsetting and printing by Hoffine Printing, 55 East Malvern, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115, The Forum welcomes letters from students and other readers. 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Issue No. 4 Oct. 17, 1986 Westminster College recently adopted an Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) policy; there have been at least 40 confirmed cases of AIDS in Utah according to Project AIDS Utah; and one AIDS victim is working toward educating a public that he says is not well informed. John Lorenzina, the director of the National Association of People With AIDS said that he came to Utah to help AIDS Project Utah, a community based, nonprofit organization committed to coordinating a constructive response to AIDS. Part of this response is to educate the public. According to Frederick P. Siegals book; AIDS, the Medical Mystery, This disease eludes the bodys structure of immunity, but directly attacks the sophisticated immune system leaving it open to organisms with which one had previously lived in harmony. Therefore," as Lorenzina explained, AIDS patients are most likely to contract diseases that are opportunistic infections. He defines these as being organisms usually present in the environment that a healthy body can usually resist Lorenzina said that maybe 60 percent of the people walking around have pneumyocystis carinii bacteria present in their bodies, but someone with a depressed immune system characteristic of AIDSis unable to protect the body from this organism and goes on to develop pneumoeyc-ti- s carinii pneumonia. Senior nursing student Michelle Maxwell, .who helped with Westminsters policy research, said that most AIDS patients die from this particular pneumonia. Lorenzina' said that it is usually not a flue or cold that the patient dies from but more often it i& something more exotic, that most people's bodies could fight off easily." Lorenzina said that reporta 'show 'only' some 40 odd cases of AIDS in Utah, but this . is misleading. He explained by saying that these were patients in the Anal stage of the disease who had been diagnosed but many more cases have ' never been diagnosed. Those people are the most dangerous," Lorenzina explained, because they can go on spreading the disease without even knowing it To get a more realistic picture of how many Utahns are affected with AIDS Lorenzina said to multiply the number of 40 confirmed cases by 10 to get the amount of 400 Utah citizens who have been exposed to the AIDS virus. Lorenzina added, This is a rule of thumb but the actual number is higher, and it will increase geometrically. According to Lorenzina, there are three the disease. Once exposed to the HTLV virus three things can happen. A healthy person could possibly not even become affected by the disease, or a person could be affected only as a host op carrier, able to spread the disease to others but not personally affected. Another possibility for the HTLV positive person would be that they could contract the disease but not develop symptoms or pass on to the severe AIDS stage until later in life. Lorenzina said these people should watch like health and body care, their of and control of alcohol and stress regulation could fight off the use. healthy Staying drug breakdown of the immune system in a pa- -' tient at this stage which is referred to a3 AIDS related complex or ARC. Lorenzina said that the problem is that most of these patients dont show symptoms and are therefore not diagnosed in time. The final stage is AIDS, which slowly breaks down the bodys immune system. Lorenzina said, The health problems that come up can be tiring and treatment can be worse than the original problem. Because of this many AIDS patients in the final stages decide to not be treated and allow the disease to take their life. Lorenzina added that many patients choose mercy killing before the disease gets to that point. This brings up the ethical question of the practice of euthanasia. Lorenzina explained that many legal, ethical, moral, and psychological problems must be dealt with in the final stages of the disease and legalities are finally being developed in order to help AIDS victims and ensure their rights and the rights of their loved ones. AIDS Project Utah is one of the organizations working on such rights and they have also developed support networks which supply buddies for a buddy system" which helps inform patients of their rights and how to cope with all the complications that will arise. The buddies give trained counseling or just bring books to the patient in the hospital and see how they are doing, Lorenzina said. ON THE COVER AIDS virus particles (small dark dots) erupting from the surface of an infected cell in tissue culture. Photograph from September 12, 1986 issue of Science. State Plans Gala Event by Mike Moser The week of Oct. 24 through 31 has been declared AIDS awareness week by both Gov. Norman Bangerter and Salt Lake City Mayor Palmer DePaulis. The week will be marked by a variety of events and seminars. of one of the weeks activities, the purpose of According to Catrine Cash, a AIDS awareness week is to raise funds for AIDS Project Utah and to increase awareness of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. AIDS Project Utah (APU) is a organization which, according to Richard Cochran, director of APU, "provides a constructive response to AIDS and provides services to those people affected or concerned with the AIDS crisis, The week of events will begin with Thats What Friends Are For. ..A Gala Benefit Event on Friday, Oct. 24 in Symphony Hall at 8 p.m. (See box below for complete schedule of events.) This event will feature musical and comedy performers. On Saturday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. Showtimes production of As Is will be shown at the Bryant Intermediate School. As Is is the story of a homosexual stricken with AIDS whose former lover returns to care for him. The play received the 1SS5 Obie Award for Distinof the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding guished Play and was thelSSS recipient ' ' Achievement. " ; During the following week, a series of lectures will be held on the subject of AIDS and treating people with AIDS. According to Cochran, the lectures are open to people in the medical field as well as the general public.; , The money collected for APU from the events will go to expanding their educational programs, Cochran said. People are really starving for information." non-prof- it . . AIDS Awarencc3 Week Activities Oct 24, 8 p.m. Symphony Hall Thats What Friends Are For.A Gala Benefit Event This event will feature: . Roseanne Barr a nationally known comic who has performed on the Tonight Show, Late Night with David Letterman and the Comedy Store in LA. The Saliva Sisters Two musical numbers from Cats, and more Tickets are being sold through Smithstix and the Capitol Theater box office at $10, $12.50 and $15. Oct 25, 8 p.m. Bryant Intermediate School As Is The Showtime video production of the award winning play Tickets are available at Cabin Fever (4th South store only). Cahoots, Cosmic Aeroplane and the Golden Braid Bookstore for $7. Oct 26, 8 p.m. BryantTntermedinte School Romanovsky and Phillips These two performers sing with humorous honesty. - , Medical Lectures basic stages of Morning sessions will be held at the Veterans Administration Medical Center of the hospital), 500 Foothill Blvd. The Auditorium, Building 9 (located south-wecost is $10 per session or $5 for students. 1002 Evening sessions will be held at the Moreau Health Center Auditorium, session. is cost The $3 South East per Temple. and Treatment a.m. 8 Oct 27, Experiental Drugs st Mathilde Krim, Ph.D. Oct 27, 7 p.m. Praotial Home Care for People with AIDS and AIDS Related Oct 28, 7 p.m. Complex Porter Warren. RN Outpatient Needs and Services Oct 29, 9:30 a.m. Gayling Gee, RN AIDS Research Update Jay Levy, MD Infection Control and Inpatient Care Grace Lusby, RN Public Health Issues Oct 30, 8 a.m. Martin Finn, MD Patient Rigu and Ical C onremx ct 30, 7 p.m. Ben Schatz National Gay Rights Advocate Emotional Care and AIDS Empowerment ct 31, 8 a.m. Chris Sandoval Assistant Director of Shanti For further information call AIDS Project Utah at Oct 29, 7 p.m. 486-AID- . 4 o,i- -. S. Forum 3 |