6
      Feature
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Youth:A
      force
      for
     
    
   
   
    
     
      orld
      AIDS
      Day,
      De-
     
     
      cember
      1,
      1998,
      is
     
     
      an
      important
      inter-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      national
      event.
      It
      joins
      nations
     
     
      and
      communities
      in
      one
      spirit
     
     
      to
      strengthen
      HIV/AIDS
      pre-
     
     
      vention
      and
      awareness
      pro-
     
     
      grams,
      and
      to
      improve
      care,
     
     
      support,
      and
      treatment
      for
      peo-
     
     
      ple
      living
      with
      HIV/AIDS.
     
    

    
     
      In
      a
      report
      released
     
     
      November
      24,
      UNAIDS
      (the
     
     
      world
      program
      on
      AIDS)
      and
     
     
      the
      World
      Health
      Organiza-
     
     
      tion
      revealed
      that
      HIV
      infec-
     
     
      tions
      increased
      by
      10%
      in
      1998,
     
     
      bringing
      the
      total
      number
      of
     
     
      people
      living
      with
      HIV
      around
     
     
      the
      globe
      to
      33.4
      million.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Although
      the
      trend
      to
      °
     
    
   
   
    
     
      increasing
      infections
      in
      the
     
     
      general
      population
      is
      disturb-
     
     
      ing,
      this
      year’s
      World
      AIDS
     
     
      Day
      focuses
      on
      the
      particular
     
     
      problem
      of
      HIV
      among
      youth.
     
     
      Youth
      represent
      a
      third
      of
      the
     
     
      people
      living
      with
      HIV
      today,
     
     
      and
      7000
      more
      youth
      world-
     
     
      wide
      are
      infected
      each
      day.
     
    

    
     
      The
      problem
      of
      HIV
     
     
      among
      youth
      is
      equally
      serious
     
     
      in
      Canada
      as
      it
      is
      worldwide.
     
     
      According
      to
      Health
      Canada’s
     
     
      Laboratory
      Centre
      for
      Disease
     
     
      Control,
      over
      half
      of
      new
      in-
     
     
      fections
      are
      occurring
      in
      youth
     
     
      aged
      24
      or
      less.
     
    

    
     
      These
      statistics
     
     
      prompted
      the
      Canadian
      AIDS
     
     
      Society
      to
      make
      youth
      the
      fo-
     
     
      cus
      of
      the
      1998/1999
      AIDS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      change
     
    
   
   
    
     
      awareness
      campaign.
      The
     
     
      year-long
      campaign
      is
      launched
     
     
      every
      year
      with
      AIDS
      Aware-
     
     
      ness
      Week,
      which
      falls
      imme-
     
     
      diately
      before
      World
      AIDS
     
     
      Day,
      November
      23-30,
      and
     
     
      continues
      until
      the
      spring
      of
     
     
      1999,
     
    

    
     
      “Many
      people
      suffer
     
     
      from
      the
      misconception
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “many
      people
     
     
      have
      the
      mis-
     
     
      conception
      that
     
     
      AIDS
      only
      af-
     
     
      fects
      certain
     
     
      populations”
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AIDS
      only
      affects
      certain
     
     
      populations,”
      said
      Terrence
     
     
      Stewart,
      Chair
      of
      the
      Cana-
     
     
      dian
      AIDS
      Society.
      “The
     
     
      AIDS
      awareness
      campaign
     
    
   
   
    
     
      tries
      to
      get
      the
      message
      out
     
    
   
   
    
     
      that
      we’re
      all
      affected.”
     
    

    
     
      As
      many
      as
      5000
      Cana-
     
     
      dians
      —
      primarily
      women,
     
     
      youth,
      Aboriginals,
      people
      who
     
     
      use
      needles
      to
      inject
      drugs
      (in-
     
     
      cluding
      steroids),
      and
      young
     
     
      gay
      men—may
      be
      contracting
     
     
      HIV
      each
      year,
      without
      realiz-
     
     
      ing
      they’re
      at
      risk.
     
    

    
     
      Furhtermore,
      the
      Labo-
     
     
      ratory
      Centre
      for
      Disease
     
     
      Control
      estimates
      that
      be-
     
     
      tween
      30-40%
      of
      people
      cur-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      rently
      living
      with
      HIV
      don’t
     
     
      know
      they’re
      infected.
     
    

    
     
      As
      for
      youth,
      “Part
      of
     
     
      being
      young
      is
      believing
      you’re
     
     
      immortal,”
      says
      Stewart.
     
     
      “Young
      gay
      men
      today
      in
      par-
     
     
      ticular
      haven’t
      grown
      up
     
     
      watching
      their
      friends
      die
      the
     
     
      way
      gay
      mendid
      inthe
      1980s.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      main
      factor
      that
      puts
     
     
      youth
      at
      risk
      for
      HIV
      is
      their
     
     
      age.
      It
      is
      in
      adolescence
      that
     
     
      experimentation
      with
      drugs,
     
     
      alcohol
      and
      sexual
      activity
      of-
     
     
      ten
      begins.
      While
      sharing
      nee-
     
     
      dles
      to
      inject
      drugs
      (including
     
     
      steroids)
      provides
      a
      direct
      route
     
     
      for
      HIV
      transmission,
      alcohol
     
     
      and
      other
      drugs
      can
      compro-
     
     
      mise
      a
      person’s
      judgement,
     
     
      reducing
      the
      chances
      that
      they
     
     
      will
      make
      appropriate
      decisions
     
     
      to
      avoid
      infection.
     
    

    
     
      Studies
      have
      shown
      that
     
     
      50
      percent
      of
      Canadian
      17
     
     
      year-olds
      have
      had
      sexual
      in-
     
     
      tercourse.
     
    

    
     
      Of
      these,
      57
      percent
      of
     
     
      17
      year-old
      boys
      and
      45
      per-
     
     
      cent
      of
      17
      year-old
      girls
      useda
     
     
      condom
      the
      last
      time
      they
      had
     
     
      sex.
      The
      presence
      of
      sexually
     
     
      transmitted
      diseases
      has
      also
     
     
      been
      shown
      to
      increase
      the
     
     
      risk
      of
      HIV
      infection
      if
      a
      per-
     
     
      son
      is
      exposed
      to
      the
      virus.
     
    

    
     
      Women
      between
      the
     
     
      ages
      of
      15
      and
      19
      report
      the
     
     
      highest
      STD
      rates,
      and
      are
     
     
      therefore
      a
      high
      risk
      age
      group.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      nchoosing
      the
      theme
      for
      World
      AIDS
      Day
      1998,
      “Young
      people:
      A
      force
     
    

    
     
      for
      change”,
      UNAIDS
      said
      “Youth
      are
      still
      at
      the
      stage
      of
      experimenta-
     
     
      tion
      and
      can
      learn
      more
      easily
      than
      adults
      to
      make
      their
      behaviour
      safe
      or
     
     
      to
      adopt
      safe
      practices
      from
      the
      start.
      But
      the
      role
      of
      young
      people
      does
     
     
      not
      stop
      there.
      They
      can
      help
      take
      the
      sting
      and
      shame
      out
      of
      AIDS
      where
     
     
      it
      is
      still
      stigmatized;
      they
      can
      bring
      kindness
      and
      practical
      help
      to
      those
     
     
      already
      infected
      with
      HIV
      or
      living
      in
      a
      household
      touched
      by
      AIDS.
      If
     
     
      they
      get
      support
      from
      the
      adults
      in
      their
      lives
      and
      from
      society
      at
      large,
     
     
      young
      people
      can
      change
      the
      course
      of
      the
      epidemic.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      his
      message
      touches
      on
      two
      key
      issues
      in
      HIV/AIDS
      today,
      the
      need
     
    

    
     
      to
      provide
      youth
      with
      accurate,
      meaningful
      information
      about
      HIV/
     
     
      AIDS,
      and
      the
      need
      to
      support
      youth
      in
      their
      contribution
      to
      the
      fight
     
     
      against
      this
      incurable
      disease.
      The
      Canadian
      AIDS
      Society’s
      youth
     
     
      campaign
      will
      attempt
      to
      do
      both.
      Watch
      for
      it
      next
      spring!
     
    
   
   
    
     
      n
      Canada’s
      #1
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      since
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      PHOLIDAYS
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
        
     
     
         
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
      «
      1
      December
      1998
     
    
   
   
    
     
      from
     
     
      CHARLOTTETOWN
      RUST
      CHECK
     
    
   
   
    
     
      17
      Alley
      street
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ets
     
    
   
   
    
     
      es
     
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      "Neutralize
      the
      effects
      of
     
     
      salt
      and
      moisture
      on
      metal"
     
    
   
   
    
     
      fee
     
    
   
   
    
     
      atl
     
     
      7
      al
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      eas
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Aagornen
      UM.
      Dr.
      Herb
      Dickieson,
      MLA
     
     
      BM
      AA
      Leader
      of
      the
      Third
      Party
     
    

    
     
      *
      .
      5
      r
      Office
      of
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      Third
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      http://www.
      gov.pe.ca/
      Prince
      Edward
      Island
     
    
   
   
    
     
      E-mail:
      thirdparty@gov.pe.ca
      Canada
      C1A
      7N8
     
    
   
   
    
     
      U.P.E.I.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      E
      ~—s
      BOOKSTORE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      E
     
    
   
   
    
     
      in
      the
      basement
      of
      Kelly
      Building
     
     
      Sing
      we
      now
      of
     
     
      Christmas,
      of
      love
      and
     
     
      laughter,
      peace
      and
      joy.
     
     
      From
      all
      of
      us
      to
      all
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      you,
      a
      very
      special
     
     
      holida
      season.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a:
      Owned
      and
      operated
      by
      the
      University
      of
      P-E.I.
      locate: