Declaring world war on AIDS
MacSween, S.
Dimensions in Health Service 66(6): 34-35
1989
ISSN/ISBN: 0317-7645 PMID: 2806764 Document Number: 367789
There were over 10,000 delegates from all over the world at the 5th International Conference on acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) in Montreal, Canada. A continuing debate throughout the conference by gay rights and AIDS support groups criticized an international obsession with scientific methods in fighting the epidemic. They indicated little financial and moral support from policy makers for health workers and those in high risk groups. Developing country representatives indicated the major threats of AIDS exposure includes huge numbers of street children, the growing numbers of migrant workers, the rapid expansion of cities, widespread prostitution and homosexuality, inadequate sanitation, and lack of health care resources. In West African cities there are a large number of prostitutes that have AIDS and are uneducated and poor. Researchers on sex behavior indicated that 1 of 3 white middle class males will have sexual activity with a prostitute once in his lifetime, 1 of 4 male college students between 17-22 years of age has had anal sex, and 3 of 4 persons, whether heterosexual or homosexual have had a sexual with the gender opposite to that of their normal partner. The risks for health care workers to not appear to be higher than normal except in the states of New York, Florida, and California where high risk populations are present. Some health care workers may not take precautions because of time constraints and less than 10% of paramedics surveyed took proper precautions at any time.