HIV affecting more young people; free testing available
Sarah McKinney / Reporter
When college students think of the AIDS epidemic, they tend
to think of African villages, where people are living in
abject poverty. Young people feel secure in the idea of
“that will never happen to me.” College students
feel young, alive and invincible. However, Michelle Moody,
co-coordinator for Elon Cares, said this is not the case.
“HIV can affect everyone, even people we know,”
Moody said. “It is so important that a person be tested
if they are sexually active.”
In 2002, North Carolina’s HIV testing program, STAT
(Screening Tracing Active Transmission), detected two
positive HIV male college students. The detection of these
two new cases generated a review of the state HIV case
reports between Jan. 1, 2001 and March 1, 2003 in the Triad
area, which includes Wake, Durham and Orange counties. The
review uncovered 25 new cases of HIV in college males
attending schools within the Triad area, and 121 cases in
males of the same age not enrolled in college. These results
showed an increase of 83 percent from the tests given in
2000, when only three cases were detected.
Another test given in 38 counties in North Carolina revealed
56 cases of recently diagnosed HIV males attending 30
different colleges, and the same test showed 307 new cases in
males not attending college. The statistics show that between
40 percent and 50 percent of new HIV infections are detected
in young people.
Because of the rapid increase in the outbreak of HIV in young
college males, the state conducted an examination of
potential sexual partners, social/sexual network links,
interviews and counseling sites in order to compare the newly
diagnosed HIV-infected college males to those infected but
not in college. According to the information collected,
college students with HIV were more likely than non-college
students to frequent gay bars or dance clubs, use Ecstasy and
meet sexual partners over the Internet. The data collected
also suggests that using the Internet as a way to meet sexual
partners is very common in HIV-infected college-age gay men.
Research done in the past has also proven that men who use
the Internet as a way to find sexual partners are more likely
to meet and have sex with other men.
All local health department personnel on campuses and
community-based organizations were informed of the recent
outbreaks. Counseling facilities and testing activities were
increased greatly. Many of the colleges in the Triad area are
working hard this year to amplify student awareness about
HIV, including Elon. Stephanie Kloeber, the coordinator of
Elon Cares, one of the service branches that is a part of
Elon Volunteers!, is making sure that Elon students are fully
aware of the risks that are out there concerning HIV.
“The Elon Cares team has been visiting different Health
and Elon 101 classes to inform students of the risks they
face when they have unprotected sex,” Kloeber
said.
She encourages any sexually active college student to be
tested.
“It is extremely important to get tested if you have
had unprotected sex because HIV and AIDS is on the rise,
especially for college students,” she said. “If
you are sexually active, and feel that you are ready to be
tested, there are many options for you.”
On the second Thursday of every month from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m.
the Health Center offers free confidential testing. The test
involves a simple swab of the mouth, so no blood needs to be
drawn. If you need to be tested between the dates that
are provided by Elon, you can visit the Triad Health Project
in Greensboro for a free testing every Monday between 5-7
p.m., where blood is drawn. Also, Alamance Cares in
Burlington tests in the same manner as the Health Center.
With all of the options that students at Elon have, there is
no excuse for not being tested.
Contact Sarah McKinney at pendulum@elon.edu or
278-7247.
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