HIV Outbreak Found at NC Schools

RALEIGH — North Carolina is the unhappy home to the nation’s first-ever outbreak of HIV among college students, according to research presented at a Feb. 10 in San Francisco. The research team was led by infectious disease specialist Lisa B. Hightow of UNC. From Jan. 1, 2000, through Dec. 31, 2003, her team discovered 84 HIV cases in male college students. The students attended 37 colleges, all but four in NC. While researchers track down and try to stem the outbreak, NC campuses are trying various ways to encourage students to engage in sexual liaisons more responsibly.