[Vision2020] HIV hysteria turns to reminder

[Shelly]

HERE!!! HERE!! BRAVO - DAVID JOHNSON! - Shelley Roderick
HIV hysteria turns to reminder


By DAVID JOHNSON
of the Tribune
MOSCOW -- The initial hysteria over a man who allegedly had sex with several
women without first informing them he had HIV seems to have ebbed, officials
said here Friday. 
But in its place, added some people close to the situation, has come a
sobering lesson about sexually transmitted diseases and revelations about
the bar and party scene both here and across the border in Pullman. 
"This could be a life or death sentence for a lot of people," said Shelley
Roderick, co-owner of CJs nightclub here. "It's a wake-up call about
promiscuity alone. I just wish they (sexually active people) were more
educated, if that's the route they choose." 
Kathy Sprague, a downtown business owner who for 12 years has offered sex
education classes for mostly college students, said the arrest of
31-year-old Kanay Mubita is a tragedy in its own right. But it also
underscores what has been a growing cavalier attitude among some sexually
active people. 
"The hysteria is starting to die down and now people are asking the
appropriate questions," said Sprague, 40, who has had a number of friends
die of AIDS. "Wherever people get drunk and are sexually active, then they
re hooking up. It's a college town." 
She said the Moscow-Pullman area has a higher incidence of some sexually
transmitted diseases, mainly because young people are failing to practice
safer sex. 
Mubita remains in the Latah County Jail on a $20,000 bond and faces felony
counts for allegedly having sexual relations with seven women without first
informing them that he tested positive for HIV. A Tuesday preliminary
hearing has been scheduled. 
Mubita, who according to court records was a regular in the local bar scene,
faces a maximum of 15 years in prison on each count. 
"We're waiting for more police reports," Latah County Deputy Prosecutor
Michelle Evans said, adding that additional charges may be filed depending
on what a continuing police investigation turns up. 
David Duke, assistant Moscow police chief, said investigators have confirmed
that at least 12 people said they had sexual relations with Mubita. Court
records indicate 20 women or more might be involved. "We're following up on
those contacts," Duke said. 
Meanwhile, officials from the North Central District Health Department
reported that 13 people showed up Thursday night at an HIV testing and
counseling session held here because of the scare in town. 
Carol Moehrle, district health director, declined to disclose the results of
the tests. She said persons who've had contact with an HIV-positive partner
should be tested at three months and again at six months after the last
contact to ensure negative results. 
While the allegations against Mubita have triggered the concern, Sprague and
Roderick say other people who've tested positive for HIV are surely involved
in the same social setting. All the more reason for education about safer
sex, the two agreed. 
Roderick went a step further to champion abstinence as the best bet, at
least until officials get a better handle on how widespread the potential
infection has become. Police are still asking anyone who may have had sexual
contact with Mubita to inform authorities. 
On a positive note, Moehrle said the HIV scare has been a catalyst for
persons who said their sexual practices have not been exemplary. Many of
those people are asking to be tested and receive counseling, she said. 
"We continue to get more phone calls, which is great." 
Sprague lays part of the problem at the feet of abstinence-only education
and a lack of government funding for inclusive sex education. 
"Abstinence-only education has led to young people not even knowing how to
use a condom," she said. 
Sprague also said many young people don't have an appreciation of the risks
they're taking. "The reason this has happened is because the people involved
haven't watched an entire generation die." 
Names of the alleged victims have been kept anonymous. They are identified
in court records only by initials and age. They range in age from 21 to 37,
according to records. Their identities could be made public as early as
Tuesday, if they are called to testify at the preliminary hearing. 
By law, a preliminary hearing must be held within 14 days of a felony arrest
 Mubita, however, may ask for a continuance or waive his right to the
hearing. Latah County Magistrate William Hamlett is handling the case. 
------ 
Johnson may be contacted at deveryone at potlatch.com 
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