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Sunday Morning News

Older People at High Risk of HIV Infection

Aired February 4, 2001 - 7:20 a.m. ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: When we think about HIV and AIDS, we may not think of our grandparents or parents getting infected, but the older population is just as much at risk as the younger one.

As Jonathan Aiken tells us, AIDS is a growing problem among people over 50.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): When Jan Fowler's 23-year marriage ended, she missed the social life she had with her husband and other couples, so she began dating a long-time friend.

JANE FOWLER, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION ON HIV OVER FIFTY: It didn't occur to me that this man, this friend might be HIV positive, or that if he were I could become positive too through unprotected sex, but that's what happened to me.

AIKEN: At the age of 50, she became HIV positive.

Remarkably, she isn't alone; AIDS cases in people 50 and older make up 14 percent of cases nationwide -- this, according to 1999 statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. New AIDS cases in older adults were up 22 percent between 1991 and 1996, rising twice as fast as in the younger population.

Part of the rising numbers can be attributed to people living longer with powerful medicines; but one of the biggest problems is, this group doesn't always see themselves at risk for getting HIV.

MARCIA ORY, NATIONAL INSTITUTE ON AGING: They know a lot less than the younger population. They're more misinformed about the reasons you get it; they're less likely to know people with HIV/AIDS; they don't know what they can do to protect themselves.

AIKEN: To them, condoms are for preventing pregnancy, something that's less likely to be an issue after 50.

ORY: The condom message is out there, nut if you think about those messages, those messages aren't targeted to middle-age and older people, they're targeted to teens, they're targeted to young adults.

AIKEN: So older adults are less likely to hear them and talk openly about sex.

FOWLER: Women of my generation thought of sex and discussions of sex as taboo.

AIKEN: But health care workers are not without blame, according to some.

ORY: Doctors and nurses and social workers -- people who work with older people -- they don't see them at risk. So they're not saying, you know, here are things that are risky and here are things you can do.

AIKEN: Now Fowler has helped for a group called the National Association on HIV Over 50 to help those like herself who are infected, and to stop new infections.

FOWLER: Hey, just because you're older doesn't mean you're immune to HIV.

AIKEN: With high divorce rates, and baby boomers entering this age group, experts say the numbers will continue to climb unless behaviors change quickly.

Jonathan Aiken for CNN, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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