Miami Herald - Thursday, December 10, 1992
Lori Rozsa, Herald Staff Writer

The study was led by Dr. Tedd Ellerbrock of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. He said when it comes to HIV and AIDS, as Belle Glade goes, so goes the nation.

"The epidemic has progressed further in this community than it has in other communities," Ellerbrock said. "We know it was affected early on, between 1975 and 1980, and what we're seeing now is a mature form of the epidemic."

Belle Glade first became a center for AIDS studies when it was discovered in the mid-1980s that the town had the highest per-capita incidence of AIDS in the country. Last year, members of the National Commission on AIDS toured the town, which by then was also known for having the highest rate of HIV infection among heterosexuals.

Ellerbrock said other communities should take a lesson from the facts gathered in the western Palm Beach County farm town.

"This is the trend of the future," Ellerbrock said. "What we're seeing is an increasing number of heterosexual transmissions of HIV."

For the study, 1,011 women who registered for prenatal care at the Belle Glade public health clinic between May 1989 and July 1991 volunteered to be tested. Fifty-two, or 5 percent, tested positive for the AIDS virus.

The study found that 65 percent of the woman who are HIV positive had a least one of these characteristics:

* More than five sexual partners since becoming sexually active. * More than two sexual partners per year of sexual activity. * A history of exchanging sex for money or drugs. * Sexual contact with a high-risk partner. * Use of crack cocaine.

The rest of the women didn't fit into those categories, which means, Ellerbrock said, a woman having unprotected sex in Belle Glade is at a high risk of contracting the AIDS virus even if she doesn't fit into other risk categories.

"Our principle reason for being in Belle Glade is to try to institute prevention programs," he said. "The message we want to give this community is, if possible, have only a monogamous relationship with somebody you know has tested HIV-negative."

Ellerbrock recommends more AIDS prevention education for teenagers in Belle Glade, and HIV testing and counseling for women of reproductive age.

Shauna Dunn, director of the Palm Beach County Comprehensive AIDS Program, is all for more AIDS education. Until September, CAP ran a program called AIDS Risk Reduction Outreach. Staff members went door-to-door and spoke to small groups about AIDS prevention. Funding for the program ended three months ago, and Dunn had to lay off seven workers.

Dunn said a one-on-one approach is much more effective than lecturing prevention to large groups.

"There is no one-size-fits-all kind of plan," she said. "What's most needed is general information, and the countering of false information."

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1992. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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