Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1988. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press; Friday, December 2, 1988.
According to the survey, many high school students mistakenly believe AIDS can be transmitted by mosquito bites, toilets and giving blood.
The national Centers for Disease Control and local school officials surveyed students in ninth through 12th grades last spring about their knowledge of AIDS. The surveys were done in eight states as well as seven big-city school systems.
Some of the findings were surprising, said Dr. Laura Kann, a researcher at the Atlanta-based CDC.
"They clearly know the primary sources of HIV (AIDS virus) transmission, but when it does come to things like blood donations . . . mosquitoes and public toilets, there are . . . misconceptions," she said.
Findings did not differ greatly between locations, and misinformation was widespread. For example, more than 70 percent of the students responding in Chicago, Los Angeles, New Orleans and New York believed -- wrongly -- that someone can be infected with AIDS by giving blood.
In another example, more than half the students responding in Los Angeles and New Orleans believed that AIDS can be contracted by using a public toilet. And more than 70 percent in Los Angeles believed that AIDS is transmitted through insect bites.
Health officials say toilets and insects are not vehicles of AIDS transmission.
On the other hand, at least 84 percent of all students responding knew that sharing drug needles can spread AIDS, and at least 88 percent knew they could get AIDS through sexual intercourse.
As many as 6 percent of high school students in some areas have used intravenous drugs and more than three-fourths of high schoolers in some cities said they have engaged in sexual intercourse.
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