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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 30, 1987)
■ Doctors encourage condom use to prevent the spread of AIDS By B.|. Thomsen OffalMnli Nearly 600 people In the United States have contracted AIDS through heterosexual activity, according to figures released Jan. 12 by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta. The number of heterosexuals infected with the AIDS virus is rising faster than in other ‘’high-risk” groups, such as among gay and bisexual men and intravenous drug users. This is because the virus has only recently been introduced into the group and because individuals in high-risk groups have begun practicing safe-sex techniques while heterosexuals still consider AIDS a homosex ual disease, said Dr. David Fleming, deputy state epidemiologist. The use of safe-sex practices by risk groups can be documented because of the dramatic drop in incidents of other sexually transmited diseases in those groups. Fleming said. Currently in Oregon, there are no cases of AIDS through heterosexual contact. About 700 college-aged people in the United States have contracted the AIDS virus, said Dr. fames Jackson, director of the Univer sity’s student health center. The best defense people have against con tracting the AIDS virus, aside from abstaining from sex altogether, is the condom, he said. Studies show that the AIDS virus cannot pass through the wall of a condom, said Jackson. The AIDS virus is present in blood and body fluids, primarily semen and vaginal secretions. Fleming said. Since 90 percent of male intravenous drug users are heterosexual, needle sharing is a primary way for the virus to enter the heterosexual community. Fleming said. He also pointed out that the virus in no way discriminates and can be transmitted from male to male, male to female and even female to female if vaginal secretions are passed bet ween individuals. Some researchers have found small amounts of the virus in saliva, but there are no documented cases of the virus being transmit ted by kissing. Fleming said. He cautioned that to be absolutely safe, people should avoid “deep kissing where saliva is exchanged with a person known to be carrying the AIDS virus.” People who use intravenous drugs or have had sex with someone who uses intravenous drugs, people who have sex with bisexual men and people who have sex with prostitutes, are all at risk. Jackson said. The drug AZT seems to prevent replica tion of the AIDS virus. Jackson said, but it is not a cure. Condoms Continued from Page 1 unable to give any opinion on the topic because of the relative newness of the controversy. State health department of ficials and AIDS activists are en couraging broadcasters to con sider allowing the adver tisements to appear. Robert McAllister, the Oregon State Health Division AIDS program coordinator, said condoms are extremely impor tant in preventing people from contracting the AIDS virus, and by allowing the ads on televi sion, broadcasters would be raising public consciousness. "Many broadcasters and cer tain segments of society may see advertising condoms as adver tising birth control. That’s not the issue in this context," McAllister said. "This is not birth control, it’s disease con trol." Scott Seibert, chairman of the Mid-Valley Action Committee, an AIDS education group, said many television programs pro mote irresponsible sexual ac tivity. He sees advertising con doms as promoting responsible sexual activity. "To deny advertising con doms is signing the death war rants of people who need to know that information," Seibert said. Stations in the Eugene/Spr ingfield area have been forced to think about and develop some kind of policy toward con dom advertising in case they ever are approached by condom manufacturers or other groups wanting to advertise condoms as an AIDS preventative. KMTR, the NBC affiliate in the area, already has adopted a condom advertising policy, although they have yet to receive a request from anyone wishing to advertise, said sta tion president and general manager Bob Davis. “We have decided to accept TAN 10 visits $25 In the best Wolff System. Sunshower on campus 485 2323 • 874 E 13lh Upstair* by Kinko's advertising for condoms,” he said. “They will be subject to copy approval and a time restriction. We’re labeling them as adult products, so they can only be aired between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and after 9 p.m. on weekdays.” Davis said the reasoning behind the decision was quite coincidental. “I had just run into our former assistant program direc tor at a meeting in Los Angeles. She now is working at KRON and was telling me about their new policy,” he said. “When 1 got back, I was asked by our news team what our policy was because they were doing a special program on the topic. At that time, we didn’t have a policy. ”1 feel very comfortable with the decision." Davis said. ”1 have teenage daughters, and 1 would rather have them aware of the situation than in the dark.” Bruce Liliegren at KEZI believes the station would seriously consider airing con dom advertising, although like KMTR, they have not rtH:eived any request to do so. he said. “There may be a cry from a certain section of the communi ty (if any ads are aired), but I don’t know how loud that cry will be,” he said. “We try to program to a majority of our au dience. and 1 believe a majority of our audience will support condom advertising.” Liljegren said he will be sur prised if any of the condom manufacturers choose to test the ads in the Kugene/Springfield area before other major markets. Jim Putney, the KVAL station manager, expressed some con cern about the issue. “We are not at the present time accepting any condom advertising.” he said. “This is an extremely sensitive area. We don’t want to promote the usage of condoms in a 'Sex is okay with the use of a condom’ manner.” Putney believes that his sta tion and the broadcasting pro fession have a responsibility to serve the public’s best interest. Turn to Condoms, Page 12 “Dream Away” to Scandinavia Away Travel cordially invites you to spend a special evening with Dr. Dave Perkins and Janet Fulton-Perkins, who will escort our Scandinavian Highlights tour this summer. IMTK IIMK PI U> Tufsda>, February 3 7:30 PM Away Travel 800 Olive Slreel KuRriu:, Oregon 687-2250 VFAI4I Something to IC/il 1* Shout About! $100 _ 1 OFF MEDIUM PIZZA TRACK TOWN PIZZA 484-2799 • 1809 Franklin Blvd. Nut good with any other otter Otter expires 2/1/17 One coupon per customer J «• ntn CMfM 1I%IV ONLY $8.00 ANY 16” 2 ITEM PIZZA PLUS 2 QTS. POP 687-8600 1432 Orchard. Eugene ★ DESIGNER NAILS slronq P< n.itm.it looking rc« $29 Wolff *TANNING $30 $45 I ^ «r««lon« .r.tlont ENHANCERS SALON 99 W. 10th. 2nd Level Atrium, Downtown Walk-ins welcome Coupon Expires 2/14/87 345-3491 —I IQ R^okstore— LOW Photo PRICES Film & Photo Proccssin Guaranteed Lowest Prices We’ll match or baat the price ot any local photo coupon. One Day Service In by 4 p.m.-back by NOON the next day (C41-color print film). Enlargements. Reprints and Slides Good service and great prices In our lull service Photo Dept. N our lull mt\ ice Photo Dept. We carry KODAK. OLYMPUS, and PINT AX cameras A supplies. UO BOOKSTORE 13th & Kincaid M F 7 30 5 30 SAT 10 00 4 00 M« 4331 THE SHOW CAN’T GO ON WITHOUT YOU! We need YOU to arrange campus wide events for 1987 88 such as — REM. Sonia Johnson, Talking Heads. Shadow Fax. San Francisco Mime Troupe. Alex DeGrassi, G. Gor don Liddy, The English Beat & the Neville Brothers. CONTRACT with national and regional artists & lec turers that reflect current student interests. PROGRAM dances, noon gigs, dance E* theatre, art exhibits. Beer Gardens, comedy, feature (j indepen dent films & the Willamette Valley Folk Festival LEARN about yourself and others by developing valuable life-long skills. SUPERVISE and organize a security crew. APPLY for a position with the Cultural Forum — Popular Music Small Concerts Film/Video Heritage Music Contemporary Issues/Speakers Events Crew Performing Arts Visual Arts Positions begin Spring term ’87. Stop by the Cultural Forum office, EMU Suite 2, for informa tion and application. DEADLINE for applying is Friday, February 13th. I he I M(i Cultuial h otum is an I qual Opportunity/AIfnmotive Action t mployei 5f‘^Jof'DaT^EmeraId^ODi?T)rw}onT5aJIyH?rr!rrak^5D?^^r«xjorTHB«T^Tm«*ralcJ ODE Oregon Daily Emerald ODC Oregon Daily Emerald ODE Oregon Daily Emerald ODE Oregwri Daily Emerald ODE Oregon Daily Erre-ralc ODE Qreuon Daily Emerald ODE
