A search for HIV in the Boston Globe returned 100 articles written in the last month. From the articles I read, it would be easy to believe that AIDS is an African problem, a New York City problem, or a problem at the national level. The stories I read about HIV/AIDS weren't local stories. Most of the articles that mentioned HIV/AIDS in the New Hampshire papers were from the Associated Press and were concerned with AIDS on a national or international scale.

        There was an interesting article in the Boston Globe that linked drugs to the spread of HIV. The Globe was reporting on a new trend among gay men that's referred to as PNP, which stands for party and play. The article talked about how many gay men are taking crystal methamphetamine to reduce their inhibitions. The crystal meth also impairs their ability to have sex so they take Viagra. The story quotes a Boston resident who said he had done this a number of times. The man also went on to say that he worked in the porn industry ⁽²⁾. While reports like these are concerning for health officials, they can also lead to a false sense of security. It's easy for a New Hampshire resident to come away from this story believing that HIV is only a problem in large cities or among gay men and drug users. It allows people living in rural areas to distance themselves from a virus that is present in New Hampshire.

        The Boston Globe also wrote a story about Massachusetts prisons ranking 7th in the nation for HIV infections among inmates. The article blamed the increase of intravenous drug use in the northeast for the large number of HIV cases in prisons. The article called for better access to treatment and some basic sanitary changes in behavior. It also emphasized the need for continued follow up care once the inmates were released from prison ⁽¹⁾. While this is a disturbing statistic, it is leading New Hampshire residents to believe that this is an epidemic that doesn't affect them. It also doesn’t help with the stigma that comes with being HIV positive.

        I was able to find some local AIDS stories in the Portsmouth Herald; however, that isn't a paper I've had much exposure to. The Portsmouth Herald wrote about a local man with AIDS who spoke at Portsmouth High School. The article included a powerful picture of the amount of drugs he takes in one month just to slow the progression of the virus ⁽³⁾. It also profiled a 46 year old Dover man dying from AIDS ⁽⁵⁾.

        I found one particularly interesting story in the Portsmouth Herald about a New Hampshire State Senator. While the article was about a possible gay marriage amendment, it included an interview from the Senator that represents my district. As it turns out, he's openly gay, and he's HIV positive ⁽⁴⁾. That was as close as I could get to finding an article or an obituary from my hometown concerning an AIDS case.