Condoms and AIDS Education
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In response to “Schools Debate the Merits of Condom Distribution,” Dec. 22:
The article states that in Los Angeles County “teen-agers represent only a tiny portion of the AIDS cases recorded since 1981.” The number of AIDS cases among 13- to 19-year-olds is a misleading indicator of the impact of HIV infection on adolescents. As of Nov. 30, 1991, 2,400 AIDS cases have been diagnosed among 20- to 29-year-olds, representing 17% of all AIDS cases in the county. Since the average incubation period of AIDS is seven to 10 years, many of these people were infected with HIV when they were still in their teens.
More important, prevention education is critical to keep the rate of HIV infection among adolescents relatively low. In Los Angeles County, we have the opportunity to avoid the high infection rates among adolescents experienced in the East. Prevention education in schools is critical to slow the spread of HIV infection.
ROBERT C. GATES
Director of Health Services
Los Angeles County
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