JACKSON STUDENTS, DOCTOR DISCUSS AIDS

Jackson High School students wonder about their risk for AIDS and how much they have heard about the disease is true.

AIDS is just one of the topics teens have been talking about in Karen Kight's Speech I class. Drug legalization, teen pregnancy, birth control in schools, racism were other topics of the group discussions assigned in the class.

The project Friday focused on the Kimberly Bergalis story, a young woman who contracted AIDS from her dentist, and whether health care workers should be tested for the disease.

Students researched roles of doctors, patients and others involved in the case.

They also found a guest, an expert on the topic, Dr. Theodore Grieshop, who specializes in infectious diseases.

The students, mostly, believe that doctors and other health care professionals with AIDS should tell their patients or stop practicing.

Crystal Duerksen said, "Doctors expect people to be tested if they have sex. If they expect people like us to be tested, they should be tested too."

Students had a chance to ask questions and make comments as part of the presentation.

Whitney Hosmer said, "I think a lot of people think it can't happen to us because we're just in high school. But I think everyone thinks about it."

Grieshop said, "You don't get AIDS going to church and doing your homework. If you are sexually active, you have a risk.

"There is at least one high school student in Southeast Missouri with HIV, and it's from a town you'd never suspect."

He added that the spread of the disease has somewhat leveled out in the homosexual population, but is growing in other groups.

Elizabeth Etherton said, "AIDS has grown because of ignorance and because people don't use the precautions that they should."

But Farrow replied, "I don't think there is any way you could not know about it. It's everywhere. In the media, in biology class. I feel like I know."

Mark Seabaugh said, "Everything people do there is a risk. But why do people put themselves at that risk (for AIDS)? It's like they say I know I'll probably get AIDS, but they do it anyway. Having a homosexual relationship or doing drugs is like suicide. We shouldn't feel sorry for them."

His comments drew a barrage or retorts from the class, including a question if he planned never to have sex because of the risk. He replied that there are protections a person can take. Which again drew responses that nothing is foolproof.

"You can't just stop your life because you're afraid," said Traci Miller.

Beth Farrow said, "I read an article this summer about AIDS and it said that the media had blown it all out of proportion. With all the media hype, I don't know what to believe anymore.

"The article said AIDS has stayed within the original risk groups and only isolated cases have been found outside those groups."

Grieshop said in his practice in South Carolina, he saw at least one new female patient, in her early 20s, each month.

Whitney Hosmer asked, "Do more men or women have AIDS?" Grieshop answered, "It's about 80-20 men to women."

He added, "About a third of the patients, you would never have guessed that they would have AIDS."

Grieshop said hospitals and health care workers have adopted a policy of treating all patients as though they have the disease.

Hosmer then asked, "Are we close to finding a cure?" The doctor answered, "No, not even close. Although we know more about this virus than any other."