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AIDS in Indiana County Project One: Perceptions
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After collecting data about AIDS in Indiana County and the surrounding area, I found that my perceptions changed somewhat; some of the data was very surprising, but just as much was predictable. Indiana County has a higher percentage of cumulative AIDS cases in males than do Pennsylvania, Southwestern Pennsylvania, or the United States (Table 2). Additionally, MSM was notably more frequent in Indiana County than the other populations (Table 4). It’s surprising to believe, as one would logically conclude, that the vast majority of AIDS cases in my small, rural, conservative county can be attributed to homosexual men. Homosexuality is swept under the rug where I’m from; we definitely did not go in depth on the meaning of “sexual contact” in my health class, and didn’t really even discuss how AIDS affected so many gay men. In fact, I don’t think I fully realized until this year, reading And the Band Played On, why the forms you fill out when donating blood ask if you’ve had sex with a gay man in the past however many years. My biggest mistake in underestimating the prevalence of MSM transmission was assuming that the risk of transmission was through promiscuity. Unfortunately, as I have learned, one no longer needs thousands of partners to risk contracting HIV; just one is all it takes to become infected with the deadly virus.
Another interesting anomaly is the increased abundance of AIDS in minorities in Pennsylvania as compared to the National average. The cumulative AIDS rate in African-American Pennsylvanians is over 10 times higher than that of Caucasian Pennsylvanians (Table 3). As regards Hispanics, Pennsylvania’s cumulative rate is almost twice as much as the National rate. In the cases of both minorities, however, Southwestern Pennsylvania and Indiana County sport cumulative rates well below the national average, leading me to believe Pennsylvania’s high rates can be attributed to concentrations of minority cases in cities like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.
The rest of the data was not as surprising; there were nine times as many AIDS cases in Caucasians than in African-Americans in Indiana County, but due to the incredibly small population of African-Americans, the cumulative rate appears significantly higher (Table 3). The same principle holds true for Hispanics in the county. The fact that since the AIDS epidemic first started in the 1980’s, only two people in Indiana County have contracted HIV from blood transfusions/hemophilia is a testament either to the successful screening of or isolation from infected persons in this area (Table 4).
With a cumulative AIDS rate nearly one tenth the national average (37 vs. 340, Table 1), it’s safe to say that Indiana County does not have a major problem with AIDS. While there may not be a huge spread of infection, I still feel there are ways in which Indiana County could improve, especially regarding education and awareness about AIDS. When AIDS is talked about at all in Indiana County, virtually no reference is given to homosexuals, and when it is, it is usually condemning them. It would make sense for a populous to be educated about the largest at-risk group in their area; Indiana County should give that a try. With more practical and honest prevention education, the spread of AIDS could be halted in Indiana County. |
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