AIDS prevention: Know the risks

With the rise in total number of reported HIV/AIDS cases in the Upper Peninsula and Delta County specifically, Public Health, Delta and Menominee counties (PHDM) has been making sure people are aware of the disease and treatment options available.

The first step in HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention is education. PHDM offers appointments to talk to a counsellor and literature on the issue.


“A lot of schools have incorporated HIV into their curriculum,” Debbie Poquette, PHDM nursing supervisor, added.

Next, testing is essential for those participating in risky behaviors. Those risky behaviors include intravenous drug use and having multiple sexual partners, Poquette said.

PHDM offers anonymous testing for $30. That fee does not entirely cover costs, Poquette said, but Medical Director Dr. John Petrasky felt it was important to continue the program even after the state cut funding.

Those desiring testing can call 786-4111 to schedule a screening.

One of the most common misconceptions PHDM officials run into is “people think that it cannot happen here,” said Betty Oman, PHDM HIV coordinator. However, recent reports from Michigan Department of Community Health suggest despite a tendency toward stability, cases of HIV/AIDS do exist and are slowly increasing in the Upper Peninsula. (See related story.)

Also, many tend to think reducing risks is the same as eliminating them. “There is no safe sex,” Petrasky said. “You can only make it safer.”

Using a latex condom is one of those ways to make sex safer. Being monogamous is another. But abstinence is the only way to actually eliminate what is considered the most common method of HIV transmission.