Older HIV Patients Given a Voice

It has been ten years since Jane Fowler found out she was part of a growing number of older people who had contracted HIV. Now Fowler, 66, runs the National Association on HIV Over 50 and speaks around the country about being older and infected with a virus that is stigmatized as a disease of intravenous drug users and promiscuous homosexuals.

Fowler, a former newspaper journalist for 18 years, was married for 23 years before she began dating after her divorce. Five years after a New Year's Eve date with a friend she had known for years, Fowler was diagnosed with HIV. She discovered she was infected when a health insurance company rejected her application for coverage. "We're fighting the stigma of ageism as well as having a sexually transmitted disease," said Fowler. The rate of AIDS infection in the 50-plus population has climbed. People over 50 now represent 10 percent of all cases, according to the CDC. As of July, there were 471 cases of AIDS in people over 50 in Michigan, or about 10 percent of the total, and 299 people over 50 with HIV, or slightly more than 5 percent of all cases, according to the Michigan Department of Community Health's HIV/AIDS Prevention and Intervention Section.

Fowler, a resident of Kansas City, Mo., will speak on "Age Isn't a Vaccine Against HIV" at 7 p.m. at Congregation Shaarey Zedek, 27375 Bell Road in Southfield, Mich. The event, sponsored by the synagogue and the Michigan Jewish AIDS Coalition, is open to the public. For information, telephone 248-594-6522.

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