Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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The New York Times - Sunday, December 3, 1995
Karen DeMasters
The numbers are startling. New Jersey, where the number of AIDS cases is growing faster than in most states, ranks first in the percentage of women who have tested positive for H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, and third in the percentage of children infected. Of the 27,945 AIDS cases reported in the state as of the end of September, 4,299 were among 20-to-29-year-olds, and 313 teenagers have AIDS or have tested H.I.V.-positive.
Because of these numbers, the state Health Department observed World AIDS Day on Friday with a day of learning for New Jersey high-schoolers. About 800 students from all backgrounds attended an all-day session at the New Brunswick Hyatt Regency Hotel to learn how to teach their classmates about AIDS and how to prevent it. In midweek, there was a waiting list of 200.
The workshops, conducted by students, were organized so the 800 could take the programs back to their own schools. One of the scheduled speakers was Sean Sasser, an actor who has become known as an AIDS-awareness spokesman through segments on "The Real World" on MTV.
"We thought it would be more useful for students to talk to other students rather than have adults tell them about AIDS," said Rita Manno, a health department spokeswoman.
"Fifteen percent of our AIDS cases are among 20- to 29-year-olds, most of whom were infected as teens," Health Commissioner Len Fishman said.
Coincidentally, Friday was the deadline for public comment on a proposed Insurance Department regulation that would allow health insurers to test people for H.I.V. before covering them under large-group health plans. Medical professionals and the American Civil Liberties Union have protested. Insurance Commissioner Elizabeth Randall has one year from the publication of the regulations on Oct. 2 to decide whether the implement them.
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