Letter: Ignorance of HIV/AIDS deadly as disease itself

Tuesday, July 29, 2003 | 8:41 a.m.

Assemblyman Bob Beers, R-Las Vegas, just doesn't get it. In a recent interview regarding state funding of an AIDS awareness program aimed at the black community, the assemblyman was quoted as saying, "From what I understand in the newspapers, this FACT program is dedicated to putting condoms on gay men in the black community."

Ridiculous as his statement is, more alarming is the ignorance behind it, which, I fear, is not limited to the assemblyman himself. The fact is, according to the Centers for Disease Control, although African-Americans represent 12 percent of the U.S. population, in 2001 they accounted for 49 percent of new HIV infections. Further, since its outbreak in the early 1980s, HIV/AIDS has carried with it the misnomer of being a gay man's disease.

The CDC also reports that in 2001 African American women accounted for 63 percent of new HIV infections among women.

These frightening statistics clearly illustrate there is a rampant and immediate need for widespread prevention education, and not just in the African-American community. Looking generally at new HIV infections, the CDC reports that at least one-half of all new HIV infections are estimated to be among those under the age of 25. What's more, teen girls now represent almost half of new AIDS cases among those aged 13-19.

As we face the increasing reality of losing an uninformed generation to HIV/AIDS, Mr. Beers' comments put in the spotlight the worrisome thought that ignorance may ultimately be as deadly as the disease itself.

PAUL SPEIRS

Editor's note: Paul Speirs is president of Golden Rainbow, a service organization that provides housing for Southern Nevadans living with HIV/AIDS.