AIDS Education For All

I WOULD LIKE TO take this opportunity to respond to the article appearing in Peninsula's October/November 1991 issue entitled "AIDS is not a gay disease." I applaud the author's intent to dispel any "lies" or "half-truths" and to inform the Harvard community of the "truth" surrounding HIV-infection and AIDS. But unfortunately, he presented information and statistics, often out-dated, which do not represent the entire present specter of the AIDS threat to both homosexual and heterosexual communities.

The face of AIDS has changed dramatically in recent years. First of all, the currentt statistic regarding AIDS deaths is that 126, 159 Americans have died from AIDS--a figure more that quadruple that of June 1, 1987. Although this number still seems relatively low in comparison to the number of cancer deaths in America, AIDS is a disease with a death rate that will exponentially increase in the coming years.

Currently, it is estimated that more than one million Americans are infected with the virus causing AIDS, which has been concluded to be inevitable fatal. Therefore, within the next two decades, there will be well over a million deaths in America from AIDS, unless a successful vaccine is developed. Furthermore, the World Health Organization has predicted that there will be 40 million adults and children infected with HIV by the year 2000.

Funding is an urgent matter, as researchers are racing against the clock to save those who are infected. And as Murray noted in his Peninsula article, "mere behavior modification" could make all the difference in the rates of HIV-infection. This, however, requires a great deal of education simply not available in every American community. We are fortunate to live in a highly educated and informed community, but it cannot be taken for granted that every American is exposed to the same level of information regarding AIDS as we are in Cambridge.

Many presently infected with HIV simply did not know that their behavior was risky, and many Americans today still do not know exactly what behavior can put them at risk. Education is the crucial factor in stopping the spread of AIDS, and that requires a great deal of funding. It is unfortunate that the government has not yet expended satisfactory effort in researching both AIDS and cancer.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE problematic lack of accurate information regarding this disease is perpetuated by the misconception that the heterosexual community is not at risk. In the U.S., heterosexual spread accounts for 6 percent of AIDS cases, which seems to be a relatively low percentage. However, this percentage was less than 1 percent in 1981 and it is evident that the rate is increasing rapidly. HIV infections through heterosexual sex number 100,000 reported cases in the U.S. since 1985, and 3100 heterosexual AIDS cases were reported last year. The federal Center for Disease Control reports that 3 percent of American men and 34 percent of American women with the HIV virus were infected through heterosexual relations. And 75 percent of AIDS cases worldwide have been attributed to heterosexual sex.

Therefore, it is clear that "AIDS is not just a gay disease" is far from an inaccurate statement. In fact, the current rate of increase of homosexual HIV-infections is showing a decline in comparison to the heterosexual rate, due to the success of intensive AIDS education targeting the homosexual community. The number of heterosexual cases is now 7.7 times more than it was in June 1, 1987, while the number of homosexual cases is only 4.7 times more.

Intensive education must now be targeted to the dangerously unconcerned heterosexual community. Furthermore, the "60 partners or more" statistic used in Murray's article is from 1983--don't you think that there is a reason that Murray could not find a more current statistic? Our knowledge of the disease has changed a lot in eight years. That there is no longer any "average" AIDS sufferer means that the statistic today, or one close to it, is untrue and simply not applicable.

AS FOR THE HATE EXPRESSED by ACT-UP, it is not fair to attribute the behavior of one radical group to the entire liberal or HIV positive community. Equally appalling and offensive groups--Nazis, gay-bashers, pro-life protesters, etc. exist in our community. The vast majority of AIDS education groups, like our own AIDS Education and Outreach, are non-violent and non-partisan.

It is also not a fallacy or "self-delusion" to say that condom distribution is crucial for solving the AIDS crisis as Murray contends. Any member of AIDS Education and Outreach, and any other conscientious AIDS educator, stresses that condoms do not provide a 100 percent guarantee of protection, or even close, particularly with regard to anal sex.

However, this is another arena in which proper education is vital, because high condom failure rate is due primarily to breakage stemming from improper use. In addition, failure rate for preventing pregnancy seems so high because couples say that condoms are their method of contraception except for the one, or two or however many instances in which they did not actually use one.

Theoretically, if the condom does not break, and if it is used properly during oral and vaginal sex, the HIV-virus will not be transmitted during that encounter. Homosexual and heterosexual anal sex is very risky, even with a condom, but a condom will provide some degree of protection. It may not be a total guarantee, but it is the only protection for those who choose to be sexually active in this way. After all, some protection is certainly better than no protection at all.

It is irresponsible to say that condom use should be disregarded simply because there is a possibility of failure; that is like saying that couples should disregard contraceptive use because the possibility still remains that the woman could become pregnant.

Finally, the issue of assigning blame should not even be a consideration in this case. Shall we also assign blame to cancer patients who did not decrease their risk through diet, exercise or not smoking? Or to heart disease patients who did not lower their blood-pressure and reduce stress? No one is to blame for the spread of AIDS; it is cause by virus. It does not care who you are, it merely seeks to reproduce.

It is about time that Americans step down from their moral "high horse" and recognize not only their risk, but that AIDS is a tragedy for all pole, regardless of sexual orientation. Instead of wasting time deeming AIDS victims' behavior to be morally reprehensible or lacking common sense, there needs to be a deliberate, unified support system established in the world-wide fight against AIDS.

Kim E. Butler '92 is Co-Director of AIDS Education and Outreach

The homosesxual community has used education to halt the exponential growth of AIDS within its sphere. Now we need intensive education for the dangerously unconcerned heterosexual community.