Show 1 AIDS Still Major Killer in USA U.S.A. US U.S. A. A Human Side Diane Cashel PJ I Director Alcohol Drug Dru Education ACCORDING to the Utah State Health department in 1991 AIDS was the second most frequent frequent frequent fre fre- fre- fre quent killer of young men men en in the United States surpassing heart disease and cancer Statistics also reveal young black men died at three times the rate of white men The death rate for Hispanic for men was twice that of whites Among women AIDS was was the fourth leading cause of d death ath in 1991 To date Americans have died of related AIDS-related causes cause Currently Americans are classified with AIDS One million Americans are estimated to be bein in infected with the HIV virus In 1993 in Utah new AIDS cases were contracted and 30 people died Presently in Utah there are HIV reported cases and AIDS The alcohol and drug prevention program and the peer support team are dedicated to represent many student health issues While alcohol and drug abuse still is a major focus particularly in our educational materials alcohol al- al cohol a d drug prevention program program pro pro- gram and the peer support team realized some time ago that our aff affiliated student groups were educating on a variety of topics including AIDS To edu educate ate we must not give up on giving inform information tion Ways must be found not to get in in- in Abstinence is the best prevention against AIDS Every 17 minutes another American dies of AIDS Every 13 minutes another American is infected with the HIV virus according according ac ac- ac- ac cording to fo the Utah State Health Department For some AIDS and safer sex is as easy as tossing out c condoms Then there are those campuses where the word condom condom condom con dom scarcely can be mentioned We can never underestimate the level of ignorance avoidance mi misinformation information and andyes andyes andyes yes homophobia that exist around this issue is ue regardless of where our campuses are Yet most of us understand that this is not a disease Which belongs to a specific part of our population AIDS is something that we must fight together if jf we weare weare weare are ever to stop the steadily in increasing increasing increasing in- in creasing number of infections among our students our friends and our loved ones Like so many organizations we w we want to do our part to help students become educated Peer education is the best weapon in inthe inthe inthe the fight against AIDS P People ople are urged to take a st stand nd against those attitudes and fears th that t tallow allow students to feel |