* pighty-cight B.C. teenagers

“tested positive for AIDS (Ac-
“quired Immune Deficienty Syn-
_, drome) so far this year, almost
~’. twice as many as in all of 1988.
- Three teenagers in the province
have developed the AIDS
_ disease in 1989, compared with
-only one case a year ago. Dr.
-David Bowering of the Skeena

Health Unit had predicted this

‘increase when he was_inter-
‘viewed. by the Terrace Review
. over a year ago.

~ by Betty Barton

Bowering points out that most
of the teens testing positive for
the AIDS virus have been in the

. lower mainland. He goes on to
say that teenagers here don’t

perceive that they may be at risk
— yet.
Jt ig unfortunate to note that

‘teens are the future of. the

epidemic. Teens are more sex-
ually active than most people

‘realize, It is the hope of the
Ministry of Health and the
Skeena Health Unit to change
_.. the behavior and attitudes of

teens.
~ World AIDS Day, 0 on Dec, Ist
this year, focused on teens. This

was the second year that World

AIDS Day has been recognized.

Three local schools took an ac-

tive role in informing the stu-
dents about AIDS and how to

‘prevent it, Thornhill Jr. Sec-

ondary School invited Health
Unit nurses Eileen Callanan and

~ Donna Jewell to set up an infor-
_ mation booth in the open area of

the school at noon hour. They
attracted the students initially
with a draw for three World
AIDS Day T-shirts. Pamphlets
were available and a question-
naire was handed out. The
students compared their own
answers. .

At Caledonia Senior Secon-
dary School, three students from
a Grade 12 sociology class of

-Mr, Harrison’s decided to ‘take
on the day’ and contacted the
Health Unit for information.

They had had a presentation on

AIDS and felt it necessary to
- better inform their schoolmates.

Tracie Leason, Charmaine
Kozak and Kirstin MacKenzie,
all Grade 12 students, collabo-
rated to make and put up posters
throughout the school. Skeena
Valley Oxygen donated helium
to blow up pre-stamped and
hand-lettered balloons iden-
tifying World AIDS Day. The

Skeena Health Unit also pro- —

vided information brochures,
buttons and ‘T-shirts. While
waiting for. their balloons,
students picked. up pamphlets
and asked questions. The

display was up for the whole day

and staffed during morning

-break and lunch hour. The but-

tons were selectively given to

those who would wear them.
Public Health Nurse Donna

Jewell stopped in to see how

_things were going and to answer
any questions. She observed that
_ the students seemed comfortable

discussing the topic with the

three students who had already.
~-been briefed and also had writ-

ten resource information. Hav-
ing had the opportunity for in-
itial discussion with fellow
students, queries: were then
directed at Donna.

Many of the students feel that.
condoms should be available in
the washrooms of the schools.
They don’t believe it will make
them more sexually active, but
rather, make it safer for those
who are.

' Tracie Leason’s younger sister
Simone, in Grade 8 at’ Skeena
Junior Secondary, wore her
AIDS T-shirt on World AIDS
Day. She feels that the junior
grades need to be made aware of
the hazards of sex before they
become sexually active. She was
approached by many students
with ‘questions. She had pam-

phlets available to hand out and -

there was also a more compre-
hensive information display set
up in the school.

Since H.1.V. (Human Im-
munodeficiency Virus — the
contagious microbe that causes
AIDS) testing began in B.C. in
Oct. 1985, 94,379 tests have
been done: 3,353 of those tested
positive for the virus. In the
Skeena Health. Unit district
(which stretches from the Yukon
border to Klemtu and from
Houston to the Queen Charlotte
Islands), 20 to 30 tests are done
monthly. One or two are

positive each month. There is .

presently one confirmed AIDS
case and two or three possibles
in the whole Skeena Health Unit
district. The test results are
possibly inaccurate because the
same person (people) could be
tested each month. Risk group
statistics are kept, but the names
of the testees are strictly con-
fidential.

The Skeena Union Board of
Health met a week ago Satur-
day. They passed a resolution
(nine in ‘favor, five opposed) to
call on School District 88 to in-
stitute programs of AIDS educa-
tion (including abstinence and
safer sex) in the schools. John
Jansen, Minister of Health,
says, ‘‘We must all accept this
challenge with a renewed sense
of commitment and ensure that
our youth continue to be the
focus in our collective health
education, promotion and infor-
mation sharing initiatives.”’

br. David Bowering, Chiet Medi

informing students on the subjects of safer sex,

diseases.

cal | Health Officer at the Skeena Health Unit, reviews a
booklet called “Safer Sex Guidelines’. The brochure is available to educators who will be

AIDS and other sexually transmitted

Cancer society tallies funds

Contributed by Lily Nielsen,

Terrace Unit, Canadian

Cancer Soclety

I have just come back from a
Canadian Cancer Society
weekend workshop in Prince

CANADIAN CANCER
SOCIETY

Your 1988 donation provided:

e A 10 day. Camp Goodtimes
experience for 72 children with
a history of cancer;

@ Accommodation fornearly 1,700 |
patients and guests at the Lodges;

© Grants totalling over $3 million
- for research in British Columbia;

® Educational material in Chinese,
Hindi and Punjabi about smoking
hazards, breast self-examination
and Pap tests;

® Training for volunteers who
operate the Cancer Information
Line - 879-2323 in Vancouver, -
or 1-800-663-4242;

@ “Keeping In Touch”, a new video
teaching women how todo breast
self-examination regularly and

> effectively;

@ A province-wide smoking
prevention program for pre-
. schoolers entitled “Smoke Free”;

e Over aquarterof a million dollars
in transportation for cancer
patients and their families.

BRITISH COLUMBIA AND YUKON DIVISION

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George. I enjoyed meeting with
other caring people from around
the Yukon and Northern District
Units, But I soon learned that I
have to get the message out to
everyone in Terrace. .

At campaign time in Terrace

and area for 1989 we raised over

$11,000. Thank you all again.
We have an Emergency Air
volunteer that cancer patients
can be referred to for aid to get
to treatment centers, and also
for drugs, support equipment
and Canadian Cancer Society
lodges.

The Emergency Aid Terrace
Unit expenses for the period of

Oct. 1, 1988 to Sept. 30, 1989
was $3,861.99. In memoriam
donations for the same period
came to $3,097.

A Living with Cancer support
group could be another C.C.S.
patient service for the Terrace.
This is the time for people to ex-
piess their feelings and talk to
others to learn that they al are not
alone.

Men and women with caring
feelings can be trained by the
Canadian Cancer Society to lead
such a support group. Contact
me 635-2995 if you are in-
terested.

Royal Canadian Legion Branch 13

New Years Eve Extravaganza
Cocktails, Hors’d’oeuvres
7:30 P.M. GLENS
Buffet Later ae
usic by NORTHERN PRIDE

Corsages for the Ladies
$25 per person

-

For Details, Call Mark Collins
of AMR MARKETING at

635-3618

DISTRISUTORSHIP INQUIRIES WELCOMED |