AIDS WARRIORS HONORED

LONG BEACH -- It's one disease that shows no preference. Man, woman,
young, old, straight, gay, drug abuser or clean-living individual,
HIV has affected every segment of society.

And unlike many diseases, AIDS is entirely preventable.

Roughly 200 people gathered Thursday to remember those who have died
of the virus and support continued efforts to find a cure for an
epidemic that has already infected 40 million people globally.

The event, held at the First United Methodist Church, was part of
World AIDS Day, held to mark the terrible toll the virus has
inflicted on millions globally.

"People need to understand that everybody is vulnerable," said
Whitney Engeran, executive director of Being Alive Long Beach, a
non-profit organization dedicated to fighting and treating HIV and
AIDS. "People should get tested, know their status and be honest with
their partners. We can cut the infection rate dramatically if we deal
with each other honestly."

While expensive medications have prevented many HIV cases from
progressing to full-blown AIDS in the past decade or so, the virus
remains very life-threatening, a fact speakers of Thursday's event
made a point to emphasize.

"You can't just take pills and think it's going to be an easy fix,"
said Franz Rau, a Long Beach resident diagnosed with AIDS in 1999.
"Every person reacts differently to the virus and it can reach a
point where the medication is no longer effective."

Among the estimated 4,800 people with known AIDS cases in Long Beach
since 1981, more than half have died, according to Long Beach health
officials. The city also has twice the incident rate of the virus
than the rest Los Angeles County.

Earlier this year, the city launched the third phase of an HIV
awareness campaign, HIV Stops With Me, which uses print and broadcast
advertisements, pamphlets, informational booths and health fairs,
among other methods, to prevent the spread of HIV.

Rau and others are part of the campaign, which uses their stories to
relate the message that HIV infection is preventable.

Especially alarming among AIDS activists in Long Beach, and
elsewhere, is a recent trend of methamphetamine abuse among gay men,
which experts believe is helping fuel an increase in HIV cases.

According to surveys, gay men who abuse the highly addictive drug, or
other drugs, including alcohol, tend to engage in risky sexual
behavior, often with multiple partners.

"The fact is drugs and alcohol fog your judgment and can lead to
dangerous (encounters)," Rau said.

And despite popular perceptions, gay men aren't the only ones
devastated by the AIDS crisis.

In 2002, AIDS was the leading cause of death for black women between
in the United States the ages of 25 and 34, according to a report by
the Black AIDS Institute, which also found that black women accounted
for 68 percent of newly diagnosed HIV infections in 2004.

Elsewhere Thursday across the Southland, communities including Los
Angeles, West Hollywood, Pasadena and UCLA, held candlelight vigils
and health awareness events to remember those who died of the disease
and support continued efforts to find a cure.