REGION IS NOT ISOLATED WHEN IT COMES TO AIDS

Southeast Missourians feel isolated at times, tucked away in a corner of the state, at a distance from the dealings of modern existence. We recognize both good and bad that comes from this provincial circumstance. Unfortunately, this part of the state is not so sequestered that the ills plaguing more urban environments can be kept away. Such is the case with AIDS. Though the frequency of the disease in Southeast Missouri is not necessarily alarming, the same awareness and education required for its prevention is needed in these environs.

The number of reported AIDS cases in Missouri has risen every year since records have been kept. Over a five-year period, cases of AIDS recorded by Missouri public health officials have risen from 239 in 1987 to 655 last year. For the first four months of this year, 220 AIDS cases have been documented by the state, setting a pace that would exceed the 1991 figure.

State numbers, of course, represent only those reported cases. There are 4,273 Missourians who have tested positive for HIV at public health facilities; that is a known quantity. Obviously, however, there are many people carrying the virus who are unaware of it and show up in no statistics. While the majority of those contracting this illness are in Missouri's metropolitan areas, the disease has made itself felt in our part of the state. Ignoring this reality is the same thing as sanctioning its transmission.

The predominant group at risk remains homosexual males, though increases in HIV reports have been most dramatic among heterosexuals and intravenous drug users. The educational process continues, but what is already known is that unprotected sex, promiscuity and needle sharing are perilous enterprises. In these times, whether in Southeast Missouri or St. Louis or Kansas City, care must be taken by individuals to keep from becoming one of the statistics.

AIDS understands no geography. The disease distinguishes not at all between the city dweller and rural kin. The cure for AIDS may be decades away, and education is the first step toward stalling its spread. Acting on that education, and adjusting behavior accordingly, should be the immediate step toward curbing the disease until research reveals its secrets.