editorials

Americans who came of age in the late 1980s and early '90s heard a lot about the dangers of a frightening new disease -- HIV/AIDS -- often sexually transmitted and fatal. We read about the deaths of stars like Rock Hudson and Anthony Perkins. And we agonized over cases like that of Ryan White, the teenager who was shunned at his school and eventually died of the disease.

But as new medications and drug "cocktails'' allowed people to live longer with HIV, the public heard less about the seriousness of the ailment. Children and teens of the last decade saw a robust-looking Magic Johnson living with HIV. Younger Americans grew up in an era when more emphasis was placed on abstinence-only programs than safe-sex education.

Yet recent news about a significant rise in HIV cases demonstrates the need to push prevention. Last week, the Minnesota Health Department reported that the number of new HIV infections jumped 13 percent in 2009, the largest increase in 17 years.

To reverse the alarming local and national trend, young gay and bisexual males must be convinced of the importance of safe sex. Outreach efforts must be targeted to reach them where they live -- in schools, social venues, through health care providers and Internet networks.

Young people receive, share and absorb information differently than their 1990s counterparts. The self-protection message must be designed to resonate with 21st-century youth. The same social networking sites that young people use to connect with sexual partners can be used for education.

Although it's critical to reach that specific population of males, young people in general must be persuaded to take the safe-sex mantra to heart. Though HIV infections have not risen as dramatically among other groups of youth, STD and pregnancy rates have. An unplanned pregnancy or contracting an STD may not be life-threatening, but there are still serious consequences.

That's why prevention information campaigns, like the continuing efforts of the Minnesota Health Department, merit investment and support.

If young people know how to protect themselves, they can avoid difficult treatments, lifelong drug dependence and possibly shorter life spans. And society saves on the ever rising cost of health care for truly preventable diseases.